Moderate quake strikes eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — A shallow moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 Richter scale rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 00:53 a.m. Jakarta time Friday (1753 GMT Thursday) with epicenter at 58 km southwest Ternate of North Maluku and with the depth at 10 km, the agency said.

http://www.qb-china.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

64 suspected militants killed in NW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistani military airstrikes killed 64 suspected militants in its northwest tribal area near the Afghan border on Thursday, including dozens at a seminary where Taliban commanders were believed to be meeting, officials said.

The jet fire rained in two spells during the day in the Mamuzai area of Orakzai, a tribal region where many Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to have fled to avoid an army ground offensive further south.

Two intelligence officials said the seminary was a main center for Tableeghi Jamaat, a non-violent Islamic missionary group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The center was targeted because a group of Taliban leaders were believed to be meeting there in the afternoon. Some four dozens people died in the airstrikes in and around the seminary, while 13 others were killed in morning strikes at the two other sites.

The officials said all 64 were suspected militants. Independent confirmation of the death toll or the victims\’ identities was nearly impossible because access to the tribal region is restricted.

Meanwhile, local officials told Xinhua that an important Taliban commander Mian Gul was also arrested in Storikheil area of Orakzai during the ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, Pakistani armed forces killed 21 terrorists in Orakzai when they attacked the forces. A security man was also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the security forces have also taken control of Shananak mountain in the area.

The operation began hours after a U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district.

Orakzai is considered a major base for Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistan Taliban\’s top commander, who is believed to have died in a U.S. missile strike in January. The Taliban have denied his death, but have failed to show evidence he is still alive.

The Pakistani Taliban have been under pressure in their main stronghold, South Waziristan tribal region, since the army launched its ground offensive there in October. Many are believed to have scattered to other parts of the tribal belt, which borders Afghanistan in Pakistan\’s northwest.

Orakzai and neighboring tribal area Kurram have witnessed numerous airstrikes over the past few months as Pakistan tries to catch fleeing militants.

The Orakzai Agency, a valley part of Pakistan\’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is flanked by 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high mountain ranges, which is attractive for pro Al-Qaeda militants and proved as natural castles for them.

The United States allegedly said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are creating problems in establishment of peace and offering resistance to the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which is why the U.S. enhanced drone attacks in Pakistan\’s tribal belt. Nearly 100 U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 830 people in Pakistan\’s tribal areas since August 2008.

ALMATY, March 27 (Xinhua) — About 90 cities and towns in Kazakhstan will join the global Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights for an hour, the local branch of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Friday.

Saturday will be the third annual Earth Hour observance, which is sponsored by the WWF.

In the capital of Astana, some landmark buildings, such as the Astana-Baiterek Monument, the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Independence Palace, will turn off the lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time.

In Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, the city hall building, the television tower and many other buildings will also join the action.

Major cities in Kazakhstan participating in Earth Hour include Uralskaya, Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk, Aksu, Chaimey, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Taraz.

In addition, the WWF also called on local people to voluntarily join the global action by turning off their own lights on Saturday night.

The Earth Hour initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people switched their lights off for an hour.

http://www.znnw.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — South Korea on Friday renewed its call on the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to identify four South Korean nationals held in the DPRK on suspicion of illegally entering the country.

\”There has been no notification from North Korea (DPRK) on this issue,\” Seoul\’s Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae- sung told reporters.

The DPRK delegation to working-level talks in early March on improving operations at their joint industrial complex said they would formally inform the South of the situations of the four South Koreans as soon as detailed information is available, Chun added.

Pyongyang announced late February that it is investigating four South Koreans for illegal entry, without giving further details.

http://www.lersus.com

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — A shallow moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 Richter scale rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 00:53 a.m. Jakarta time Friday (1753 GMT Thursday) with epicenter at 58 km southwest Ternate of North Maluku and with the depth at 10 km, the agency said.

http://www.qb-china.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

Suva, March 26 (Xinhua) — The European Union once again comes to the aid of school children in Fiji who got affected by Cyclone Tomas.

Through the Fiji Education Sector Program, the EU will initially hand over on Monday March 29 a cheque of 1 million Fiji dollars (0.515 million U.S. dollars) to the Ministry of Education to commence rehabilitation work in badly affected areas.

The money will be used to repair and purchase school equipment damaged in the cyclone in schools in the Northern and Eastern Division.

Fiji\’s Education Minister Filipe Bole said additional funds will be provided after the full report on damages to schools is submitted by the Ministry to the EU office.

It is envisaged that the EU will provide more than 2 million Fiji dollars (1.03 million U.S. dollars) to assist the Ministry in its rehabilitation efforts.

In response, the Fiji government is indeed grateful to the European Union for providing the much needed funding for the rehabilitation of schools that suffered great damages as a result of the devastation caused by Cyclone Tomas.

\”In times of national need and grief befalling many of our people after natural disasters, the goodwill of other nations freely given through different forms of assistance is always a blessing and a pleasant experience to enjoy,\” said Bole.

The children of Fiji as beneficiaries of the EU kind gesture wish to convey their gratitude to the people of Europe.

Their benevolent gesture of replacing lost learning implements and also providing modern facilities and equipment for learning has turned sorrows into joy.

Meanwhile Fiji said that as of Friday the damages caused by Cyclone Tomas had reached 34 million Fiji dollars (17.5 million U. S. dollars).

http://www.zokn.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.

Negotiation (between representatives of the government and red- shirted core leaders) is still viewed as the solution to the current conflict, Abhisit said.

Significantly, the national and people interest will be factored in as the government is attempting to solve the political problem, Abhisit said.

In a related development, the government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) has agreed to pull out its unarmed army forces stationed in at least three places as demanded by the red-shirted protesters.

These three places are Bovornniwet Temple, Tri-tossathep Temple, and Nang Leong Racecourse.

Peace-keeping center spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told state-run NBT Television that the pulling of the troops is aimed to ease the political tension between the army men and the red shirted protesters.

The peace-keeping operation command is now assessing how and where to relocate the army troops already pulled from those mentioned places, the PKC spokesman said.

Amid the ongoing gathering of the red shirts, the unarmed- military forces are still needed in capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure security, explained Col. Sansern.

Meanwhile, Police Major General Piya Utayo, the Spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said as the army forces were pulled out, police forces have still maintained security at several places in Bangkok.

\”The police is now closely coordinating with the peace-keeping operations command (inside the 11th Infantry Regiment in capital Bangkok to ensure security),\” said Police Major General Piya.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.?? Full story

Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.? Full story

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

? This undated picture shows South Korea\’s Cheonan naval ship in South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. South Korea\’s military scrambled Cheonan naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.

The cause for the sinking is unknown yet. President Lee Myung- bak demanded at the second emergency meeting with security officials earlier in the day a \”quick and thorough\” investigation and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered related nations engaged in the six-party talks be informed of proper information about the incident while urging the government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Kim added that there are no special movements by the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) so far.

The ship \”Cheonan\” went down off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (12:45 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response.

Navy and the National Maritime Police Agency has dispatched nine ships and a helicopter to the waters near the Baehryeongdo, and pledged to mobilize Navy\’s all rescue force to search the missing.

The military authorities will also send divers into the waters to find out whether the ship-based artillery shells or external attack caused the explosion, but it said the final conclusion cannot be made only after the sunken ship is dragged out of the water.

Yonhap also quoted unnamed official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as saying that it is too early to tell whether the DPRK played a role in the incident.

Local media reported later Friday that the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistani military airstrikes killed 64 suspected militants in its northwest tribal area near the Afghan border on Thursday, including dozens at a seminary where Taliban commanders were believed to be meeting, officials said.

The jet fire rained in two spells during the day in the Mamuzai area of Orakzai, a tribal region where many Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to have fled to avoid an army ground offensive further south.

Two intelligence officials said the seminary was a main center for Tableeghi Jamaat, a non-violent Islamic missionary group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The center was targeted because a group of Taliban leaders were believed to be meeting there in the afternoon. Some four dozens people died in the airstrikes in and around the seminary, while 13 others were killed in morning strikes at the two other sites.

The officials said all 64 were suspected militants. Independent confirmation of the death toll or the victims\’ identities was nearly impossible because access to the tribal region is restricted.

Meanwhile, local officials told Xinhua that an important Taliban commander Mian Gul was also arrested in Storikheil area of Orakzai during the ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, Pakistani armed forces killed 21 terrorists in Orakzai when they attacked the forces. A security man was also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the security forces have also taken control of Shananak mountain in the area.

The operation began hours after a U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district.

Orakzai is considered a major base for Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistan Taliban\’s top commander, who is believed to have died in a U.S. missile strike in January. The Taliban have denied his death, but have failed to show evidence he is still alive.

The Pakistani Taliban have been under pressure in their main stronghold, South Waziristan tribal region, since the army launched its ground offensive there in October. Many are believed to have scattered to other parts of the tribal belt, which borders Afghanistan in Pakistan\’s northwest.

Orakzai and neighboring tribal area Kurram have witnessed numerous airstrikes over the past few months as Pakistan tries to catch fleeing militants.

The Orakzai Agency, a valley part of Pakistan\’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is flanked by 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high mountain ranges, which is attractive for pro Al-Qaeda militants and proved as natural castles for them.

The United States allegedly said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are creating problems in establishment of peace and offering resistance to the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which is why the U.S. enhanced drone attacks in Pakistan\’s tribal belt. Nearly 100 U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 830 people in Pakistan\’s tribal areas since August 2008.

ALMATY, March 27 (Xinhua) — About 90 cities and towns in Kazakhstan will join the global Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights for an hour, the local branch of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Friday.

Saturday will be the third annual Earth Hour observance, which is sponsored by the WWF.

In the capital of Astana, some landmark buildings, such as the Astana-Baiterek Monument, the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Independence Palace, will turn off the lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time.

In Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, the city hall building, the television tower and many other buildings will also join the action.

Major cities in Kazakhstan participating in Earth Hour include Uralskaya, Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk, Aksu, Chaimey, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Taraz.

In addition, the WWF also called on local people to voluntarily join the global action by turning off their own lights on Saturday night.

The Earth Hour initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people switched their lights off for an hour.

http://www.znnw.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — South Korea on Friday renewed its call on the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to identify four South Korean nationals held in the DPRK on suspicion of illegally entering the country.

\”There has been no notification from North Korea (DPRK) on this issue,\” Seoul\’s Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae- sung told reporters.

The DPRK delegation to working-level talks in early March on improving operations at their joint industrial complex said they would formally inform the South of the situations of the four South Koreans as soon as detailed information is available, Chun added.

Pyongyang announced late February that it is investigating four South Koreans for illegal entry, without giving further details.

http://www.lersus.com

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — A shallow moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 Richter scale rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 00:53 a.m. Jakarta time Friday (1753 GMT Thursday) with epicenter at 58 km southwest Ternate of North Maluku and with the depth at 10 km, the agency said.

http://www.qb-china.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

Suva, March 26 (Xinhua) — The European Union once again comes to the aid of school children in Fiji who got affected by Cyclone Tomas.

Through the Fiji Education Sector Program, the EU will initially hand over on Monday March 29 a cheque of 1 million Fiji dollars (0.515 million U.S. dollars) to the Ministry of Education to commence rehabilitation work in badly affected areas.

The money will be used to repair and purchase school equipment damaged in the cyclone in schools in the Northern and Eastern Division.

Fiji\’s Education Minister Filipe Bole said additional funds will be provided after the full report on damages to schools is submitted by the Ministry to the EU office.

It is envisaged that the EU will provide more than 2 million Fiji dollars (1.03 million U.S. dollars) to assist the Ministry in its rehabilitation efforts.

In response, the Fiji government is indeed grateful to the European Union for providing the much needed funding for the rehabilitation of schools that suffered great damages as a result of the devastation caused by Cyclone Tomas.

\”In times of national need and grief befalling many of our people after natural disasters, the goodwill of other nations freely given through different forms of assistance is always a blessing and a pleasant experience to enjoy,\” said Bole.

The children of Fiji as beneficiaries of the EU kind gesture wish to convey their gratitude to the people of Europe.

Their benevolent gesture of replacing lost learning implements and also providing modern facilities and equipment for learning has turned sorrows into joy.

Meanwhile Fiji said that as of Friday the damages caused by Cyclone Tomas had reached 34 million Fiji dollars (17.5 million U. S. dollars).

http://www.zokn.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.

Negotiation (between representatives of the government and red- shirted core leaders) is still viewed as the solution to the current conflict, Abhisit said.

Significantly, the national and people interest will be factored in as the government is attempting to solve the political problem, Abhisit said.

In a related development, the government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) has agreed to pull out its unarmed army forces stationed in at least three places as demanded by the red-shirted protesters.

These three places are Bovornniwet Temple, Tri-tossathep Temple, and Nang Leong Racecourse.

Peace-keeping center spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told state-run NBT Television that the pulling of the troops is aimed to ease the political tension between the army men and the red shirted protesters.

The peace-keeping operation command is now assessing how and where to relocate the army troops already pulled from those mentioned places, the PKC spokesman said.

Amid the ongoing gathering of the red shirts, the unarmed- military forces are still needed in capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure security, explained Col. Sansern.

Meanwhile, Police Major General Piya Utayo, the Spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said as the army forces were pulled out, police forces have still maintained security at several places in Bangkok.

\”The police is now closely coordinating with the peace-keeping operations command (inside the 11th Infantry Regiment in capital Bangkok to ensure security),\” said Police Major General Piya.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.?? Full story

Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.? Full story

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in a South Korean navy patrol ship sinking, according to local media Saturday.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency quoted multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae as saying.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

The South Korean naval vessel, with 104 crew members onboard, sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause.

The 1,200-ton ship sank off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast at around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (1245 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship.

President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday demanded a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and called for rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six-party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.? Full story

S Korean Navy ship sinks possibly caused by mine explosion: YTN

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted presidential sources as saying on Saturday.

by Prime Sarmiento

MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) — About 15 million Filipinos are expected to switch off their lights for one hour Saturday night, joining the global community\’s symbolic stance against climate change.

Households, communities, civil society, government agencies and private companies from over 1,000 towns and municipalities in the Philippines pledged to turn off their lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, according to the organizers of Earth Hour Philippines.

This is the third consecutive year that the Philippines is joining this global sustainability movement.

This year\’s Earth Hour Philippines is being organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the Department of Energy, Green Army Network Foundation and SWITCH Movement. The organizers will mobilize 15 million Filipinos from more than 1,000 towns and cities to participate in Earth Hour.

As of Friday, 1,041 towns and cities have committed to take part in the event significantly more than the 647 cities and towns which switched off their lights during Earth Hour 2009, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity – equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants.

The Philippines ranked first among 88 nations in terms of local participation in last year\’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour Philippines National Director Naderev Sano is not surprised by such strong reception to the Earth Hour.

\”You can only say yes to earth hour,\” Sano said in an interview with Xinhua.

The newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner notes that the Earth Hour is a \”politically-neutral\” event, offering the Filipinos a short reprieve from the current campaign frenzy ahead of the May national elections.

It also helps that it\’s very easy to participate in Earth Hour, Sano said. One just have to switch off the lights for one hour – enough to do one\’s part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s. The rising carbon emissions which is mainly due to the growing dependence on oil and coal as an energy source is increasing temperatures. The warming planet is spurring more floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions, according to the U.N. Climate Panel.

Sano said more Filipinos are ware of the impact of climate change, having experienced first hand the problems it caused. Last year, the back to back typhoons Ketsana and Parma pushed 480,000 people to poverty and damaged over 4 billion U.S. dollars worth of property. This year, the El Nino has brought intense heat, dried up farmlands, damaged crops, reduced water levels and limited the supply of energy.

The organizers have invited the public to the main switchoff event to be held at the SM Mall of Asia, where a concert will be held to celebrate Earth Hour. Street parties will also be held ion various parts of the country.

Organizers are also hoping that participating in the one hour switch off program will encourage more consumers to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted Cheong Wa Dae sources as saying on Saturday.

General of the South Korean Navy Lee Ki-shik said later Friday that the 1,200-ton warship Cheonan went down after the unexplained explosion ripped a hole in the ship\’s bottom.

But both the government and the military authorities said the exact cause of the incident cannot be pinpointed yet.

South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in the incident.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday, citing multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation has been stepped up on Saturday. Military divers arrived at the scene of the warship sinking to go underwater to search the sunken vessel. But Yonhap said that they had to delay the operation due to inclement weather.

There were a total of 104 sailors onboard when the ship sank. Fifty-eight have been rescued later Friday, and other 46 crew members still remain missing.

President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday, demanding for a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six- party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said at a press conference on Friday that he has no intention of making any significant changes to his Cabinet, or the leadership of his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), maintaining that he himself has no plans to step down as prime minister, ahead of the House of Councilors elections this summer.

The prime minister although acknowledging a slump in public support, with polls revealing the support rating for his Cabinet has dropped to the 30 percent range from over 70 percent shortly after the DPJ swept to power last September, said he was not thinking about stepping down.

\”I understand it to be a situation I should take seriously, but I don\’t take the position that I should just quit,\” Hatoyama said with reference to the growing lack of public support, adding, \”I\’m not thinking about resignation.\”

Hatoyama, who also doubles-up as DPJ president, also quashed any possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle and DPJ leadership change, saying that any changes now would be untimely.

The prime minister conceded that he himself as well as other DPJ lawmakers such as Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, who have both been implicated in political funds scandals, should adequately explain themselves to the public and admitted that he is \”well aware\” that the public is angry.

\”We\’ll have to pave the way for a solution to this kind of problem appropriately,\” said Hatoyama restating his wish to legally ban political donations from corporations and organizations.

Having successfully passed a record 92.3 trillion yen (995.54 billion U.S. dollars) budget for the new fiscal year from April 1, Hatoyama is keen to enact key remaining pieces of legislation including the child allowance and senior high school tuition waiver bills, by March 31, the end of the current fiscal year, in hope of bolstering public support by making good on his \”People\’s Lives First\” election campaign slogan last summer.

Opposition parties however are expected to intensify their \” politics and money\” campaign against the DPJ-led ruling bloc, regardless of the passage of new bills, as their core bone of contention with the ruling coalition remains the funding scandals.

However the Liberal Democratic Party has indicated that it will demand Hatoyama\’s resignation should he not be able to successfully resolve the thorny issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marines\’ Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

Hatoyama has a self-imposed end-of-May deadline to resolve the issue which took a new turn on Friday as Japan\’s Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima that the possibility of Japan sticking to an existing accord with Washington to relocate the facility within Okinawa would be close to impossible.

http://www.gtrip.net

BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s government is likely to enforce the Internal Security Act (ISA) at the venue of the Mekong River Commission Summit during April 2 to 5, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Friday, Thai News Agency reported.

The summit will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in resort town Hua Hin locating in Thailand\’s central province Prachuap Khiri Khan during April 2-5.

Hence, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Premier Suthep, and Satit Wonghnongtaey, Prime Minister\’s Office Minister inspected the planned venue for the summit.

Their inspection was made in a bid to assess if it will be necessary to impose the ISA law, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported?

Thousands of protesters led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group have converged on capital Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.

Hence, it is feared that they may move to stage a rally at the summit\’s venue since the UDD or red-shirted group has announced their rally will be prolonged.

The red-shirted main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

http://www.marconimedical.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — The red-shirted anti-government protesters march in capital Bangkok are still under control as the government is confident to be able to further maintain law and order, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Saturday.

\”The situation is still under control,\” the deputy premier in charge of security affairs said.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday afternoon, Suthep said that security officers have let the anti-government protesters to move to their targeted places smoothly to avoid confrontation.

Suthep said, \”both police and army officers are performing their duty patiently to deal with the protesters.\”

The government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) is closely monitoring the situation to further ensure security for the general public and state places, Suthep said, adding that the government will also adjust security forces to be deployed in a bid to prevent any ill-intended people to inclite violence.

The anti-government protesters Saturday were marching to eight important places aiming to pressure the Army to withdraw its forces stationed at several important places in capital Bangkok.

As the march not yet completely ended by 15:30 p.m. local time, some red shirted protesters already returned to their main rally site Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.? Full story

Thai gov\’t to do every means to bring Thailand out of crisis: PM

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.? Full story

http://www.qb-china.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — The red-shirted anti-government protesters march in capital Bangkok are still under control as the government is confident to be able to further maintain law and order, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Saturday.

\”The situation is still under control,\” the deputy premier in charge of security affairs said.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday afternoon, Suthep said that security officers have let the anti-government protesters to move to their targeted places smoothly to avoid confrontation.

Suthep said, \”both police and army officers are performing their duty patiently to deal with the protesters.\”

The government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) is closely monitoring the situation to further ensure security for the general public and state places, Suthep said, adding that the government will also adjust security forces to be deployed in a bid to prevent any ill-intended people to inclite violence.

The anti-government protesters Saturday were marching to eight important places aiming to pressure the Army to withdraw its forces stationed at several important places in capital Bangkok.

As the march not yet completely ended by 15:30 p.m. local time, some red shirted protesters already returned to their main rally site Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.? Full story

Thai gov\’t to do every means to bring Thailand out of crisis: PM

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.? Full story

http://www.qb-china.com

Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.

Officials were checking the type of the bomb.

http://www.cne.cc

PYONGYANG, March 25 (Xinhua) — The History Society of the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued an article on Thursday to commemorate An Jung Gun, a patriotic martyr who died 100 years ago, the official news agency KCNA reported.

In 1910, An Jung Gun was hung to death because of his assassination on Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, a crime culprit of Japan\’s aggression on Korea. According to the History Society of the DPRK, that patriotic action was a punishment to the Japanese imperialists, showing the Koreans\’ strong desire for independence.

\”100 years have passed since then, but the Korean people still remember the never-to-be-condoned hideous crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists in the past and will force Japan to pay for them without fail,\” the article said.

An Jung Gun, who was born in 1879, joined the Righteous Volunteers Army Movement against the Japan\’s aggression when he was young. He fatally shot Hirobumi Ito at the Harbin Railway Station in northeast China on Oct. 26, 1909. The Japanese hanged him at the Lushun prison in Dalian on Mar. 26, 1910.

http://www.zokn.com

? This undated picture shows South Korea\’s Cheonan naval ship in South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. South Korea\’s military scrambled Cheonan naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.

The cause for the sinking is unknown yet. President Lee Myung- bak demanded at the second emergency meeting with security officials earlier in the day a \”quick and thorough\” investigation and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered related nations engaged in the six-party talks be informed of proper information about the incident while urging the government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Kim added that there are no special movements by the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) so far.

The ship \”Cheonan\” went down off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (12:45 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response.

Navy and the National Maritime Police Agency has dispatched nine ships and a helicopter to the waters near the Baehryeongdo, and pledged to mobilize Navy\’s all rescue force to search the missing.

The military authorities will also send divers into the waters to find out whether the ship-based artillery shells or external attack caused the explosion, but it said the final conclusion cannot be made only after the sunken ship is dragged out of the water.

Yonhap also quoted unnamed official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as saying that it is too early to tell whether the DPRK played a role in the incident.

Local media reported later Friday that the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistani military airstrikes killed 64 suspected militants in its northwest tribal area near the Afghan border on Thursday, including dozens at a seminary where Taliban commanders were believed to be meeting, officials said.

The jet fire rained in two spells during the day in the Mamuzai area of Orakzai, a tribal region where many Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to have fled to avoid an army ground offensive further south.

Two intelligence officials said the seminary was a main center for Tableeghi Jamaat, a non-violent Islamic missionary group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The center was targeted because a group of Taliban leaders were believed to be meeting there in the afternoon. Some four dozens people died in the airstrikes in and around the seminary, while 13 others were killed in morning strikes at the two other sites.

The officials said all 64 were suspected militants. Independent confirmation of the death toll or the victims\’ identities was nearly impossible because access to the tribal region is restricted.

Meanwhile, local officials told Xinhua that an important Taliban commander Mian Gul was also arrested in Storikheil area of Orakzai during the ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, Pakistani armed forces killed 21 terrorists in Orakzai when they attacked the forces. A security man was also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the security forces have also taken control of Shananak mountain in the area.

The operation began hours after a U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district.

Orakzai is considered a major base for Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistan Taliban\’s top commander, who is believed to have died in a U.S. missile strike in January. The Taliban have denied his death, but have failed to show evidence he is still alive.

The Pakistani Taliban have been under pressure in their main stronghold, South Waziristan tribal region, since the army launched its ground offensive there in October. Many are believed to have scattered to other parts of the tribal belt, which borders Afghanistan in Pakistan\’s northwest.

Orakzai and neighboring tribal area Kurram have witnessed numerous airstrikes over the past few months as Pakistan tries to catch fleeing militants.

The Orakzai Agency, a valley part of Pakistan\’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is flanked by 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high mountain ranges, which is attractive for pro Al-Qaeda militants and proved as natural castles for them.

The United States allegedly said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are creating problems in establishment of peace and offering resistance to the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which is why the U.S. enhanced drone attacks in Pakistan\’s tribal belt. Nearly 100 U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 830 people in Pakistan\’s tribal areas since August 2008.

ALMATY, March 27 (Xinhua) — About 90 cities and towns in Kazakhstan will join the global Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights for an hour, the local branch of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Friday.

Saturday will be the third annual Earth Hour observance, which is sponsored by the WWF.

In the capital of Astana, some landmark buildings, such as the Astana-Baiterek Monument, the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Independence Palace, will turn off the lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time.

In Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, the city hall building, the television tower and many other buildings will also join the action.

Major cities in Kazakhstan participating in Earth Hour include Uralskaya, Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk, Aksu, Chaimey, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Taraz.

In addition, the WWF also called on local people to voluntarily join the global action by turning off their own lights on Saturday night.

The Earth Hour initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people switched their lights off for an hour.

http://www.znnw.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — South Korea on Friday renewed its call on the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to identify four South Korean nationals held in the DPRK on suspicion of illegally entering the country.

\”There has been no notification from North Korea (DPRK) on this issue,\” Seoul\’s Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae- sung told reporters.

The DPRK delegation to working-level talks in early March on improving operations at their joint industrial complex said they would formally inform the South of the situations of the four South Koreans as soon as detailed information is available, Chun added.

Pyongyang announced late February that it is investigating four South Koreans for illegal entry, without giving further details.

http://www.lersus.com

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — A shallow moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 Richter scale rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 00:53 a.m. Jakarta time Friday (1753 GMT Thursday) with epicenter at 58 km southwest Ternate of North Maluku and with the depth at 10 km, the agency said.

http://www.qb-china.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

Suva, March 26 (Xinhua) — The European Union once again comes to the aid of school children in Fiji who got affected by Cyclone Tomas.

Through the Fiji Education Sector Program, the EU will initially hand over on Monday March 29 a cheque of 1 million Fiji dollars (0.515 million U.S. dollars) to the Ministry of Education to commence rehabilitation work in badly affected areas.

The money will be used to repair and purchase school equipment damaged in the cyclone in schools in the Northern and Eastern Division.

Fiji\’s Education Minister Filipe Bole said additional funds will be provided after the full report on damages to schools is submitted by the Ministry to the EU office.

It is envisaged that the EU will provide more than 2 million Fiji dollars (1.03 million U.S. dollars) to assist the Ministry in its rehabilitation efforts.

In response, the Fiji government is indeed grateful to the European Union for providing the much needed funding for the rehabilitation of schools that suffered great damages as a result of the devastation caused by Cyclone Tomas.

\”In times of national need and grief befalling many of our people after natural disasters, the goodwill of other nations freely given through different forms of assistance is always a blessing and a pleasant experience to enjoy,\” said Bole.

The children of Fiji as beneficiaries of the EU kind gesture wish to convey their gratitude to the people of Europe.

Their benevolent gesture of replacing lost learning implements and also providing modern facilities and equipment for learning has turned sorrows into joy.

Meanwhile Fiji said that as of Friday the damages caused by Cyclone Tomas had reached 34 million Fiji dollars (17.5 million U. S. dollars).

http://www.zokn.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.

Negotiation (between representatives of the government and red- shirted core leaders) is still viewed as the solution to the current conflict, Abhisit said.

Significantly, the national and people interest will be factored in as the government is attempting to solve the political problem, Abhisit said.

In a related development, the government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) has agreed to pull out its unarmed army forces stationed in at least three places as demanded by the red-shirted protesters.

These three places are Bovornniwet Temple, Tri-tossathep Temple, and Nang Leong Racecourse.

Peace-keeping center spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told state-run NBT Television that the pulling of the troops is aimed to ease the political tension between the army men and the red shirted protesters.

The peace-keeping operation command is now assessing how and where to relocate the army troops already pulled from those mentioned places, the PKC spokesman said.

Amid the ongoing gathering of the red shirts, the unarmed- military forces are still needed in capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure security, explained Col. Sansern.

Meanwhile, Police Major General Piya Utayo, the Spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said as the army forces were pulled out, police forces have still maintained security at several places in Bangkok.

\”The police is now closely coordinating with the peace-keeping operations command (inside the 11th Infantry Regiment in capital Bangkok to ensure security),\” said Police Major General Piya.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.?? Full story

Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.? Full story

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in a South Korean navy patrol ship sinking, according to local media Saturday.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency quoted multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae as saying.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

The South Korean naval vessel, with 104 crew members onboard, sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause.

The 1,200-ton ship sank off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast at around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (1245 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship.

President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday demanded a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and called for rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six-party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.? Full story

S Korean Navy ship sinks possibly caused by mine explosion: YTN

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted presidential sources as saying on Saturday.

by Prime Sarmiento

MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) — About 15 million Filipinos are expected to switch off their lights for one hour Saturday night, joining the global community\’s symbolic stance against climate change.

Households, communities, civil society, government agencies and private companies from over 1,000 towns and municipalities in the Philippines pledged to turn off their lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, according to the organizers of Earth Hour Philippines.

This is the third consecutive year that the Philippines is joining this global sustainability movement.

This year\’s Earth Hour Philippines is being organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the Department of Energy, Green Army Network Foundation and SWITCH Movement. The organizers will mobilize 15 million Filipinos from more than 1,000 towns and cities to participate in Earth Hour.

As of Friday, 1,041 towns and cities have committed to take part in the event significantly more than the 647 cities and towns which switched off their lights during Earth Hour 2009, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity – equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants.

The Philippines ranked first among 88 nations in terms of local participation in last year\’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour Philippines National Director Naderev Sano is not surprised by such strong reception to the Earth Hour.

\”You can only say yes to earth hour,\” Sano said in an interview with Xinhua.

The newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner notes that the Earth Hour is a \”politically-neutral\” event, offering the Filipinos a short reprieve from the current campaign frenzy ahead of the May national elections.

It also helps that it\’s very easy to participate in Earth Hour, Sano said. One just have to switch off the lights for one hour – enough to do one\’s part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s. The rising carbon emissions which is mainly due to the growing dependence on oil and coal as an energy source is increasing temperatures. The warming planet is spurring more floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions, according to the U.N. Climate Panel.

Sano said more Filipinos are ware of the impact of climate change, having experienced first hand the problems it caused. Last year, the back to back typhoons Ketsana and Parma pushed 480,000 people to poverty and damaged over 4 billion U.S. dollars worth of property. This year, the El Nino has brought intense heat, dried up farmlands, damaged crops, reduced water levels and limited the supply of energy.

The organizers have invited the public to the main switchoff event to be held at the SM Mall of Asia, where a concert will be held to celebrate Earth Hour. Street parties will also be held ion various parts of the country.

Organizers are also hoping that participating in the one hour switch off program will encourage more consumers to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted Cheong Wa Dae sources as saying on Saturday.

General of the South Korean Navy Lee Ki-shik said later Friday that the 1,200-ton warship Cheonan went down after the unexplained explosion ripped a hole in the ship\’s bottom.

But both the government and the military authorities said the exact cause of the incident cannot be pinpointed yet.

South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in the incident.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday, citing multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation has been stepped up on Saturday. Military divers arrived at the scene of the warship sinking to go underwater to search the sunken vessel. But Yonhap said that they had to delay the operation due to inclement weather.

There were a total of 104 sailors onboard when the ship sank. Fifty-eight have been rescued later Friday, and other 46 crew members still remain missing.

President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday, demanding for a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six- party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said at a press conference on Friday that he has no intention of making any significant changes to his Cabinet, or the leadership of his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), maintaining that he himself has no plans to step down as prime minister, ahead of the House of Councilors elections this summer.

The prime minister although acknowledging a slump in public support, with polls revealing the support rating for his Cabinet has dropped to the 30 percent range from over 70 percent shortly after the DPJ swept to power last September, said he was not thinking about stepping down.

\”I understand it to be a situation I should take seriously, but I don\’t take the position that I should just quit,\” Hatoyama said with reference to the growing lack of public support, adding, \”I\’m not thinking about resignation.\”

Hatoyama, who also doubles-up as DPJ president, also quashed any possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle and DPJ leadership change, saying that any changes now would be untimely.

The prime minister conceded that he himself as well as other DPJ lawmakers such as Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, who have both been implicated in political funds scandals, should adequately explain themselves to the public and admitted that he is \”well aware\” that the public is angry.

\”We\’ll have to pave the way for a solution to this kind of problem appropriately,\” said Hatoyama restating his wish to legally ban political donations from corporations and organizations.

Having successfully passed a record 92.3 trillion yen (995.54 billion U.S. dollars) budget for the new fiscal year from April 1, Hatoyama is keen to enact key remaining pieces of legislation including the child allowance and senior high school tuition waiver bills, by March 31, the end of the current fiscal year, in hope of bolstering public support by making good on his \”People\’s Lives First\” election campaign slogan last summer.

Opposition parties however are expected to intensify their \” politics and money\” campaign against the DPJ-led ruling bloc, regardless of the passage of new bills, as their core bone of contention with the ruling coalition remains the funding scandals.

However the Liberal Democratic Party has indicated that it will demand Hatoyama\’s resignation should he not be able to successfully resolve the thorny issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marines\’ Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

Hatoyama has a self-imposed end-of-May deadline to resolve the issue which took a new turn on Friday as Japan\’s Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima that the possibility of Japan sticking to an existing accord with Washington to relocate the facility within Okinawa would be close to impossible.

http://www.gtrip.net

Bin Laden threatens to kill Americans if Khalid Sheikh Moham

Osama bin Laden threatened to execute any Americans taken prisoner by al-Qaida if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, is executed. (Xinhua/AFP File Photo)

CAIRO, March 25 (Xinhua) — Osama bin Laden threatened to execute any Americans taken prisoner by al-Qaida if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, is executed, pan-Arab al-Jazeera television reported Thursday.

Bin Laden said in a new audio message that the day the U.S. takes the decision to execute Sheikh Mohammed and his co- inspirators, al-Qaida \”would also take the decision that any of you falling into our hands will be executed.\”

Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that took nearly 3,000 lives, which sparked wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and prompted former U.S. President George W. Bush\’s war on terror.

The alleged architect of terror was captured in Pakistan in 2003.

Related:

Osama bin Laden won\’t appear in U.S. court alive: attorney general

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Xinhua) — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday that al-Qaida world network leader Osama bin Laden will never appear in a U.S. courtroom because he won\’t be brought in alive.

\”The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden. He will never appear in an American courtroom,\” Holder said during a House appropriations subcommittee hearing, when he was defending his decision to try 9/11 suspects in criminal courts instead of military tribunal. Full story

U.S. government considers another site for 9/11 trial: report

This photo obtained in March 2003 shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged organizer of the September 11, 2001, attacks, shortly after his capture. Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, and four co-accused will be tried in a civilian court in New York just blocks from where Al-Qaeda hijackers crashed two airliners into the World Trade Center, the government announced Friday.
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) — The U.S. government is considering to relocate the trial of terrorist suspects in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which was originally set in Manhattan, New York City, said a report on Friday.

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistan\’s jet fighters pounded militants\’ hideouts in northwest Pakistan\’s tribal area on Thursday, killing at least 48 people and injuring 32 others, local sources said.

The Pakistani forces targeted various suspected hideouts of militants in Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency. However, the sources did not tell the number of civilians among the casualties.

The fresh operation started in the morning when the security forces retaliated in response to militants\’ attack against the security checkpost in Mir Baka of Orakzai.

It was the second attack launched by militants against the security forces in the agency in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, local officials told Xinhua that an important Taliban commander Mian Gul was also arrested in Storikheil area of Orakzai during the ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, Pakistani armed forces killed 21 terrorists in Orakzai when they attacked the forces. A security man was also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the security forces have also taken control of Shananak mountain in the area.

The operation began hours after a U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district.

The Orakzai Agency, a valley part of Pakistan\’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is flanked by 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high mountain ranges, which is attractive for pro Al-Qaida militants and proved as natural castles for them.

The United States allegedly said that the Taliban and Al-Qaida militants are creating problems in establishment of peace and offering resistance to the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which is why the U.S. enhanced drone attacks in Pakistan\’s tribal belt. Nearly 100 U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 830 people in Pakistan\’s tribal areas since August 2008.

http://www.lersus.com

? This undated picture shows South Korea\’s Cheonan naval ship in South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. South Korea\’s military scrambled Cheonan naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — Fifty-eight crew members of just- sinking South Korean navy ship were rescued till 00:30 a.m. (1530 GMT Friday), as rescue operation is still underway, according to local media.

A South Korean naval vessel with 104 crew members onboard is sinking into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula late Friday, possibly due to attacks from the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported, citing naval officials.

The 1,500-ton ship sank near the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo near the contentious sea border called Northern Limit Line (NLL), where the two Koreas had naval skirmishes before, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response, South Korea\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

?

? South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (C, seated at table) presides over a national security-related ministerial meeting after receiving news of a sinking naval ship at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 26, 2010. Several South Korean sailors were killed and one of its naval ships with more than 100 aboard was sinking on Friday after possibly being hit by a North Korean torpedo, South Korean media reported. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) ?

? South Korean President Lee Myung-bak presides over a national security-related ministerial meeting regarding the sinking of a South Korean naval ship at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 26, 2010. Several South Korean sailors were killed and one of its naval ships with more than 100 aboard was sinking on Friday after possibly being hit by a North Korean torpedo, South Korean media reported. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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MUMBAI, March 27 (Xinhua) — India is expected to test-fire three types of short-range missiles on the weekend, local media reported on Friday evening.

The test of Prithvi-2, a short-range ballistic missile with the range of nearly 290 kilometers, is likely to be conducted on Saturday from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Balasore district of the eastern state of Orissa, the news agency Press Trust of India quoted a defense source as saying.

A naval version of Prithvi, Dhanush, may be test-fired on the same day from a warship off the Orissa coast, according to the source.

Agni-1, a short-range ballistic missile with the range of about 700 kilometers, will be jointly tested from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast on Sunday by the Army and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), said the news agency.

India successfully test-fired a vertical-launch version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile off the Orissa coast on March 21. However, its indigenous anti-missile system failed to track and intercept a mocked ballistic missile in the test on March 15.

It will be the first time for the Indian armed forces to test- fire three types of different missiles within two days from the beginning of this year.

http://www.gemuhope.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.

Officials were checking the type of the bomb.

http://www.cne.cc

PYONGYANG, March 25 (Xinhua) — The History Society of the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued an article on Thursday to commemorate An Jung Gun, a patriotic martyr who died 100 years ago, the official news agency KCNA reported.

In 1910, An Jung Gun was hung to death because of his assassination on Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, a crime culprit of Japan\’s aggression on Korea. According to the History Society of the DPRK, that patriotic action was a punishment to the Japanese imperialists, showing the Koreans\’ strong desire for independence.

\”100 years have passed since then, but the Korean people still remember the never-to-be-condoned hideous crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists in the past and will force Japan to pay for them without fail,\” the article said.

An Jung Gun, who was born in 1879, joined the Righteous Volunteers Army Movement against the Japan\’s aggression when he was young. He fatally shot Hirobumi Ito at the Harbin Railway Station in northeast China on Oct. 26, 1909. The Japanese hanged him at the Lushun prison in Dalian on Mar. 26, 1910.

http://www.zokn.com

? This undated picture shows South Korea\’s Cheonan naval ship in South Korea, Friday, March 26, 2010. South Korea\’s military scrambled Cheonan naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.

The cause for the sinking is unknown yet. President Lee Myung- bak demanded at the second emergency meeting with security officials earlier in the day a \”quick and thorough\” investigation and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered related nations engaged in the six-party talks be informed of proper information about the incident while urging the government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Kim added that there are no special movements by the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) so far.

The ship \”Cheonan\” went down off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (12:45 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response.

Navy and the National Maritime Police Agency has dispatched nine ships and a helicopter to the waters near the Baehryeongdo, and pledged to mobilize Navy\’s all rescue force to search the missing.

The military authorities will also send divers into the waters to find out whether the ship-based artillery shells or external attack caused the explosion, but it said the final conclusion cannot be made only after the sunken ship is dragged out of the water.

Yonhap also quoted unnamed official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as saying that it is too early to tell whether the DPRK played a role in the incident.

Local media reported later Friday that the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistani military airstrikes killed 64 suspected militants in its northwest tribal area near the Afghan border on Thursday, including dozens at a seminary where Taliban commanders were believed to be meeting, officials said.

The jet fire rained in two spells during the day in the Mamuzai area of Orakzai, a tribal region where many Pakistani Taliban leaders are believed to have fled to avoid an army ground offensive further south.

Two intelligence officials said the seminary was a main center for Tableeghi Jamaat, a non-violent Islamic missionary group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

The center was targeted because a group of Taliban leaders were believed to be meeting there in the afternoon. Some four dozens people died in the airstrikes in and around the seminary, while 13 others were killed in morning strikes at the two other sites.

The officials said all 64 were suspected militants. Independent confirmation of the death toll or the victims\’ identities was nearly impossible because access to the tribal region is restricted.

Meanwhile, local officials told Xinhua that an important Taliban commander Mian Gul was also arrested in Storikheil area of Orakzai during the ongoing operation.

On Wednesday, Pakistani armed forces killed 21 terrorists in Orakzai when they attacked the forces. A security man was also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the security forces have also taken control of Shananak mountain in the area.

The operation began hours after a U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in the North Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.

Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district.

Orakzai is considered a major base for Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistan Taliban\’s top commander, who is believed to have died in a U.S. missile strike in January. The Taliban have denied his death, but have failed to show evidence he is still alive.

The Pakistani Taliban have been under pressure in their main stronghold, South Waziristan tribal region, since the army launched its ground offensive there in October. Many are believed to have scattered to other parts of the tribal belt, which borders Afghanistan in Pakistan\’s northwest.

Orakzai and neighboring tribal area Kurram have witnessed numerous airstrikes over the past few months as Pakistan tries to catch fleeing militants.

The Orakzai Agency, a valley part of Pakistan\’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), is flanked by 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high mountain ranges, which is attractive for pro Al-Qaeda militants and proved as natural castles for them.

The United States allegedly said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are creating problems in establishment of peace and offering resistance to the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, which is why the U.S. enhanced drone attacks in Pakistan\’s tribal belt. Nearly 100 U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 830 people in Pakistan\’s tribal areas since August 2008.

ALMATY, March 27 (Xinhua) — About 90 cities and towns in Kazakhstan will join the global Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights for an hour, the local branch of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said Friday.

Saturday will be the third annual Earth Hour observance, which is sponsored by the WWF.

In the capital of Astana, some landmark buildings, such as the Astana-Baiterek Monument, the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Independence Palace, will turn off the lights between 20:30 and 21:30 local time.

In Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, the city hall building, the television tower and many other buildings will also join the action.

Major cities in Kazakhstan participating in Earth Hour include Uralskaya, Atyrau, Aktau, Aktobe, Petropavlovsk, Aksu, Chaimey, Karaganda, Shymkent, and Taraz.

In addition, the WWF also called on local people to voluntarily join the global action by turning off their own lights on Saturday night.

The Earth Hour initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people switched their lights off for an hour.

http://www.znnw.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — South Korea on Friday renewed its call on the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to identify four South Korean nationals held in the DPRK on suspicion of illegally entering the country.

\”There has been no notification from North Korea (DPRK) on this issue,\” Seoul\’s Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae- sung told reporters.

The DPRK delegation to working-level talks in early March on improving operations at their joint industrial complex said they would formally inform the South of the situations of the four South Koreans as soon as detailed information is available, Chun added.

Pyongyang announced late February that it is investigating four South Koreans for illegal entry, without giving further details.

http://www.lersus.com

JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) — A shallow moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 Richter scale rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.

The quake struck at 00:53 a.m. Jakarta time Friday (1753 GMT Thursday) with epicenter at 58 km southwest Ternate of North Maluku and with the depth at 10 km, the agency said.

http://www.qb-china.com

KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai left here for Tehran on Saturday for a visit at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, according to a statement released by his office.

\”During his one-day visit, the Afghan President would attend Nawruz or New Year celebration in addition to meeting Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ahamadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki,\” the statement said.

President Ahmadinejat also visited Afghanistan early this month.

At the celebration, President of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and delegates from 20 countries where Nawruz is celebrated are going to attend the Nawruz festival.

To enhance cooperation among the Persian speaking nations, Iran is holding the largest Nawruz festival and going to celebrate it with the participation of some leaders from the region on Sunday.

http://www.kphy.com

Suva, March 26 (Xinhua) — The European Union once again comes to the aid of school children in Fiji who got affected by Cyclone Tomas.

Through the Fiji Education Sector Program, the EU will initially hand over on Monday March 29 a cheque of 1 million Fiji dollars (0.515 million U.S. dollars) to the Ministry of Education to commence rehabilitation work in badly affected areas.

The money will be used to repair and purchase school equipment damaged in the cyclone in schools in the Northern and Eastern Division.

Fiji\’s Education Minister Filipe Bole said additional funds will be provided after the full report on damages to schools is submitted by the Ministry to the EU office.

It is envisaged that the EU will provide more than 2 million Fiji dollars (1.03 million U.S. dollars) to assist the Ministry in its rehabilitation efforts.

In response, the Fiji government is indeed grateful to the European Union for providing the much needed funding for the rehabilitation of schools that suffered great damages as a result of the devastation caused by Cyclone Tomas.

\”In times of national need and grief befalling many of our people after natural disasters, the goodwill of other nations freely given through different forms of assistance is always a blessing and a pleasant experience to enjoy,\” said Bole.

The children of Fiji as beneficiaries of the EU kind gesture wish to convey their gratitude to the people of Europe.

Their benevolent gesture of replacing lost learning implements and also providing modern facilities and equipment for learning has turned sorrows into joy.

Meanwhile Fiji said that as of Friday the damages caused by Cyclone Tomas had reached 34 million Fiji dollars (17.5 million U. S. dollars).

http://www.zokn.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.

Negotiation (between representatives of the government and red- shirted core leaders) is still viewed as the solution to the current conflict, Abhisit said.

Significantly, the national and people interest will be factored in as the government is attempting to solve the political problem, Abhisit said.

In a related development, the government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) has agreed to pull out its unarmed army forces stationed in at least three places as demanded by the red-shirted protesters.

These three places are Bovornniwet Temple, Tri-tossathep Temple, and Nang Leong Racecourse.

Peace-keeping center spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told state-run NBT Television that the pulling of the troops is aimed to ease the political tension between the army men and the red shirted protesters.

The peace-keeping operation command is now assessing how and where to relocate the army troops already pulled from those mentioned places, the PKC spokesman said.

Amid the ongoing gathering of the red shirts, the unarmed- military forces are still needed in capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure security, explained Col. Sansern.

Meanwhile, Police Major General Piya Utayo, the Spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said as the army forces were pulled out, police forces have still maintained security at several places in Bangkok.

\”The police is now closely coordinating with the peace-keeping operations command (inside the 11th Infantry Regiment in capital Bangkok to ensure security),\” said Police Major General Piya.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.?? Full story

Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.

The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.? Full story

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in a South Korean navy patrol ship sinking, according to local media Saturday.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency quoted multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae as saying.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

The South Korean naval vessel, with 104 crew members onboard, sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause.

The 1,200-ton ship sank off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast at around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (1245 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship.

President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday demanded a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and called for rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six-party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said. Earlier reports said 60 sailors have been rescued.? Full story

S Korean Navy ship sinks possibly caused by mine explosion: YTN

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted presidential sources as saying on Saturday.

by Prime Sarmiento

MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) — About 15 million Filipinos are expected to switch off their lights for one hour Saturday night, joining the global community\’s symbolic stance against climate change.

Households, communities, civil society, government agencies and private companies from over 1,000 towns and municipalities in the Philippines pledged to turn off their lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, according to the organizers of Earth Hour Philippines.

This is the third consecutive year that the Philippines is joining this global sustainability movement.

This year\’s Earth Hour Philippines is being organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the Department of Energy, Green Army Network Foundation and SWITCH Movement. The organizers will mobilize 15 million Filipinos from more than 1,000 towns and cities to participate in Earth Hour.

As of Friday, 1,041 towns and cities have committed to take part in the event significantly more than the 647 cities and towns which switched off their lights during Earth Hour 2009, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity – equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power-plants.

The Philippines ranked first among 88 nations in terms of local participation in last year\’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour Philippines National Director Naderev Sano is not surprised by such strong reception to the Earth Hour.

\”You can only say yes to earth hour,\” Sano said in an interview with Xinhua.

The newly-appointed Climate Change Commissioner notes that the Earth Hour is a \”politically-neutral\” event, offering the Filipinos a short reprieve from the current campaign frenzy ahead of the May national elections.

It also helps that it\’s very easy to participate in Earth Hour, Sano said. One just have to switch off the lights for one hour – enough to do one\’s part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

World emissions have risen by about 70 percent since the 1970s. The rising carbon emissions which is mainly due to the growing dependence on oil and coal as an energy source is increasing temperatures. The warming planet is spurring more floods, droughts, heatwaves, rising sea levels and animal and plant extinctions, according to the U.N. Climate Panel.

Sano said more Filipinos are ware of the impact of climate change, having experienced first hand the problems it caused. Last year, the back to back typhoons Ketsana and Parma pushed 480,000 people to poverty and damaged over 4 billion U.S. dollars worth of property. This year, the El Nino has brought intense heat, dried up farmlands, damaged crops, reduced water levels and limited the supply of energy.

The organizers have invited the public to the main switchoff event to be held at the SM Mall of Asia, where a concert will be held to celebrate Earth Hour. Street parties will also be held ion various parts of the country.

Organizers are also hoping that participating in the one hour switch off program will encourage more consumers to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to North Korea, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Friday\’s Navy ship sinking might be caused by mine explosion, South Korean media YTN quoted Cheong Wa Dae sources as saying on Saturday.

General of the South Korean Navy Lee Ki-shik said later Friday that the 1,200-ton warship Cheonan went down after the unexplained explosion ripped a hole in the ship\’s bottom.

But both the government and the military authorities said the exact cause of the incident cannot be pinpointed yet.

South Korean officials are narrowing down the possibilities that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is involved in the incident.

Likelihood of the DPRK\’s involvement in the incident seems low, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday, citing multiple officials at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.

There has been no unusual movements by the DPRK so far, Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation has been stepped up on Saturday. Military divers arrived at the scene of the warship sinking to go underwater to search the sunken vessel. But Yonhap said that they had to delay the operation due to inclement weather.

There were a total of 104 sailors onboard when the ship sank. Fifty-eight have been rescued later Friday, and other 46 crew members still remain missing.

President Lee Myung-bak convened a second emergency meeting with security officials earlier Saturday, demanding for a \”quick and thorough\” investigation, and rescuing the missing by all means.

Lee also ordered to inform related nations engaged in the six- party talks of proper information about the incident, and urged government agencies to take measures to reassure the public.

Related:

Rescue continues in S Korean ship sinking, 46 still missing

SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors of a South Korean ship that sank late Friday is still under Saturday, Seoul\’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said at a press conference on Friday that he has no intention of making any significant changes to his Cabinet, or the leadership of his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), maintaining that he himself has no plans to step down as prime minister, ahead of the House of Councilors elections this summer.

The prime minister although acknowledging a slump in public support, with polls revealing the support rating for his Cabinet has dropped to the 30 percent range from over 70 percent shortly after the DPJ swept to power last September, said he was not thinking about stepping down.

\”I understand it to be a situation I should take seriously, but I don\’t take the position that I should just quit,\” Hatoyama said with reference to the growing lack of public support, adding, \”I\’m not thinking about resignation.\”

Hatoyama, who also doubles-up as DPJ president, also quashed any possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle and DPJ leadership change, saying that any changes now would be untimely.

The prime minister conceded that he himself as well as other DPJ lawmakers such as Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa, who have both been implicated in political funds scandals, should adequately explain themselves to the public and admitted that he is \”well aware\” that the public is angry.

\”We\’ll have to pave the way for a solution to this kind of problem appropriately,\” said Hatoyama restating his wish to legally ban political donations from corporations and organizations.

Having successfully passed a record 92.3 trillion yen (995.54 billion U.S. dollars) budget for the new fiscal year from April 1, Hatoyama is keen to enact key remaining pieces of legislation including the child allowance and senior high school tuition waiver bills, by March 31, the end of the current fiscal year, in hope of bolstering public support by making good on his \”People\’s Lives First\” election campaign slogan last summer.

Opposition parties however are expected to intensify their \” politics and money\” campaign against the DPJ-led ruling bloc, regardless of the passage of new bills, as their core bone of contention with the ruling coalition remains the funding scandals.

However the Liberal Democratic Party has indicated that it will demand Hatoyama\’s resignation should he not be able to successfully resolve the thorny issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marines\’ Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

Hatoyama has a self-imposed end-of-May deadline to resolve the issue which took a new turn on Friday as Japan\’s Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima that the possibility of Japan sticking to an existing accord with Washington to relocate the facility within Okinawa would be close to impossible.

http://www.gtrip.net

BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s government is likely to enforce the Internal Security Act (ISA) at the venue of the Mekong River Commission Summit during April 2 to 5, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Friday, Thai News Agency reported.

The summit will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in resort town Hua Hin locating in Thailand\’s central province Prachuap Khiri Khan during April 2-5.

Hence, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Premier Suthep, and Satit Wonghnongtaey, Prime Minister\’s Office Minister inspected the planned venue for the summit.

Their inspection was made in a bid to assess if it will be necessary to impose the ISA law, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported?

Thousands of protesters led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group have converged on capital Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.

Hence, it is feared that they may move to stage a rally at the summit\’s venue since the UDD or red-shirted group has announced their rally will be prolonged.

The red-shirted main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

http://www.marconimedical.com

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — The red-shirted anti-government protesters march in capital Bangkok are still under control as the government is confident to be able to further maintain law and order, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Saturday.

\”The situation is still under control,\” the deputy premier in charge of security affairs said.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday afternoon, Suthep said that security officers have let the anti-government protesters to move to their targeted places smoothly to avoid confrontation.

Suthep said, \”both police and army officers are performing their duty patiently to deal with the protesters.\”

The government\’s peace-keeping center (PKC) is closely monitoring the situation to further ensure security for the general public and state places, Suthep said, adding that the government will also adjust security forces to be deployed in a bid to prevent any ill-intended people to inclite violence.

The anti-government protesters Saturday were marching to eight important places aiming to pressure the Army to withdraw its forces stationed at several important places in capital Bangkok.

As the march not yet completely ended by 15:30 p.m. local time, some red shirted protesters already returned to their main rally site Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

Related:

Thai red shirts marching to pressure army forces to withdraw from Bangkok

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.? Full story

Thai gov\’t to do every means to bring Thailand out of crisis: PM

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s coalition government will do every means in an attempt to bring the country out of the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here on Saturday.

The premier\’s statement was made as the anti-government protesters are marching to eight important places in capital Bangkok to pressure the Army to withdraw troops having been deployed on standby, Thai News Agency reported.? Full story

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SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Eight South Korean government officials, including seven from the agriculture ministry, were confirmed dead in a car accident in the southern part of the country after attending a workshop Friday night, the government said on Saturday.

According to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the crash happened at around 11:00 p.m. Friday in the southern city of Taean, about 150 km from Seoul, as the van that were carrying all eight officials ran into a beachside rock.

\”We deeply regret the death of our officials and will do our best to complete the investigation with no flaws,\” the ministry said in a statement.

The officials were part of a group that attended workshops involving sight visits and policy research projects in Taean, the ministry added.

The police said that they were still investigating the exact cause of the crash, as the driver might have lost sight of the rock as heavy fog caused dangerous road conditions Friday night or it could be related to drunk driving.

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A South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, sinks near South Korea\’s Baeknyeong Island, close to DPRK, in the western waters on Saturday, March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Chances seem low that the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea is involved in its warship sinking, said South Korean officials at the presidential office on Saturday.

\”It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North (DPRK) was related,\” a senior official told Yonhap on condition of anonymity.

\”Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government\’s judgment that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet,\” a senior government official was quoted.

\”An unidentified reason caused a hole in the ship, which led to its sinking. Rescue efforts are under way,\” the Defense Ministry said.

\”The ship fired a warning shot at an unidentified object, and the object was later suspected to have been a flock of birds. But we are checking,\” it said.

Cheong Wa Dae said that there has been no \”unusual move\” by Pyongyang so far despite initial media reports that the DPRK \”might be to blame for the incident\” that happened Friday night near the disputed western sea border between the two sides.

Initial media reports said the incident might be caused by a possible torpedo attack from an unidentified DPRK vessel, citing military sources.

The Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea has not responded to the incident.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency security meeting and ordered a \”quick and thorough\” investigation Saturday into the caused of the sinking, and investigators are asked to keep in mind \”all possibilities\”, his office said.

He also urged the military to make \”all-out efforts\” to rescue as many survivors as possible.

He had instructed his government to update other members of the six-party nuclear talks with the development of the incident, while urging government agencies to take measures to reassure the public, Presidential Office spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said at a press briefing after the meeting.

Rescue operation to search for the 46 missing sailors is still underway Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

\”Many of the missing people might have been trapped inside the sunken ship,\” JCS (the Joint Chief of Staff) spokesman Lee Ki-Sik told a parliament committee.

So far, 58 out of the 104 crew members aboard the 1,200-ton ship that sank off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula have been rescued, with two of them hospitalized for minor cerebral hemorrhage, the agency said.

The ship \”Cheonan\” went down off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo off the west coast around 21:45 p.m. Friday local time (12:45 GMT Friday), with an explosion in the back of the ship, and another South Korean naval vessel fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response.

BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Friday expressed his concern over the red-shirted march around the capital Bangkok on Saturday, Thai News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, the premier assured the coalition government has no policy to disperse the ongoing red shirt gathering.

However, it is worrying since by now it is still unknown yet how the march will be organized, while the red shirts have kept changing their march\’s plan, Abhisit said.

It will be better if the red-shirts declare the plan since it will be helpful for the government to operate security measures and for the public to avoid any difficulty to occur during the march, the prime minister said.

The red-shirted march will be organized as the 122 Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings will also start from this Saturday.

The meeting will be hosted at Centara Grand hotel at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the center of Bangkok as over 2,000 people from 153 countries will participate in.

Hence, Thai Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said that if the red shirts will not scatter their march on Saturday, it will be good for the country\’s image, the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported.

In a related development, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the national emergency center together with hospitals in eight provinces nearby Bangkok are ready to deal with the red-shirted march.

After the rally debut, it is recorded that some 185 red shirts were sick and 176 of the total already recovered as only nine persons are still being healed at hospitals, he said.

The red-shirted main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

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FlASH: SOUTH KOREAN NAVY SHOOTS AT UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL: YONHAP

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ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — Militants Saturday blew up two schools in Mohamnd and Khyber tribal areas of Pakistan\’s northwest in a fresh attempt against educational institutions, local media reported.

A government boys\’ middle School was blown up by militants in Alinagar area of subdivision Saafi, Mohamand Agency earlier Saturday morning, according to official sources.

Unknown militants came at around 1:00 AM local time and placed explosive materials in different parts of the school. The school was comprising of 16 rooms. Eleven rooms were blown up completely while five were damaged partially. It is to be noted that since January 2009, this has been the 36th school targeted by the militants in Mohamand Agency.

In another incident in Qambar Khel area of subdivision Bara, Khyber Agency, earlier Saturday morning at between 04:00 to 05:00 a.m. local time, a government boys\’ primary school was blown up by militants from Khyber Agency. The school had five rooms and four of them were damaged completely while the one left behind received partial damages. The school was without a boundary wall.

Pakistan Taliban, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, have claimed responsibility for the two incidents.

Pakistan has witnessed a rise in religious conservatism in parts of its northwest tribal belt with militants opposing education, especially female education and hundreds of schools have been destroyed in the last a few years.

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South Korean Navy\’s Ship Salvage Unit members return from their search for possible survivors from sunken naval ship \’Cheonan\’ as a Marine (front) stands guard at the seashore on Baengnyeongdo March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

by Kim Junghyun

Seoul, March 27 (Xinhua) — A South Korean naval vessel with 104 crew members onboard sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause, alarming the nation that anxiously watched the overnight rescue process of what is called one of the biggest tragedies of the country\’s naval history.

The news of the 1,200-ton warship sinking off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo, located near the disputed maritime border between South Korea and the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), initially sparked much speculation here that the cause of the incident was possible attacks from the DPRK, which quickly died down as authorities scrambled to determine a cause of the incident.

WARSHIP SINKING

The patrol ship, named Cheonan, sank near the country\’s northernmost island of Baekryeong after an unidentified explosion in the back of the ship made a hole in the bottom of it, local media reported citing military officials. Another South Korean naval ship fired at an unspecified object northward in a following action.

President Lee Myung-bak held a second consecutive emergency meeting with security officials early Saturday, following a late- night emergency meeting convened immediately after the news hit home.

\”The President instructed the Armed Forces authorities to do all they can to rescue as many survivors as possible. At the same time, he said the authorities concerned should find out what exactly transpired in the incident in a speedy and thorough manner, considering all possibilities,\” presidential office Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters earlier in the day.

As the coast guard is put on the highest alert, all public officers in the country are also put on standby during the weekend at an instruction of Prime Minister Chung Un-chan for possible emergency situations in the wake of the incident.

No fatalities have been reported yet. Thirteen crew members have been hospitalized for injuries but they are not in a critical condition, according to South Korea\’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC).

South Korean Navy\’s Ship Salvage Unit members on a rubber boat patrol to rescue possible survivors from sunken naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with?DPRK March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

RESCUE OPERATION

While 58 crew members out of 104 onboard the warship were rescued alive as of early Saturday morning, 46 members still remain missing.

ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — Pakistani border troops have arrested a mastermind of the killing of three Chinese engineers in the country\’s southwestern Balochistan province after exchange of firing, a senior military officer said Saturday.

Haji Murad Khan Muri, was arrested late Friday night after he entered Chaman, a Pakistani town bordering Afghanistan, Commandant Frontier Corps Colonel Shehzad told reporters.

Murad Muri, was behind the 2006 attack on the vehicle of Chinese engineers near Hub, a city some 700 km southeast of Quetta, the Balochistan provincial capital.

Three Chinese engineers and their driver were killed in the firing incident while several locals were injured.

The Pakistani government announced a reward of three million rupees (about 50,000 U.S. dollars at that time) for information on Murad Muri, a commander of the banned group, \”Balochistan Republican Army\”.

Giving details of the arrest, Colonel Shehzad said that the border troops intercepted a vehicle while entering Pakistani territory from Afghanistan at 11:00 p.m. local time when the troops signaled the vehicle to stop, the gunmen fired at the troops from the vehicle.

The security forces also fired on the suspects and arrested Murad Muri while his two colleagues fled towards Afghanistan in the darkness.

He said that the troops seized the car and recovered Indian currency and mobile sims. The commandant claimed that the accused had made calls to India, Kandahar in Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan.

Shehzad said that the accused will be shifted to Quetta for further investigation, hoping that the arrest will help the authorities to unearth the terror network in Balochistan.

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KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghan forces captured a Taliban commander in Nangarhar province east of Afghanistan, a press release of Defense Ministry said Saturday.

\”National security troops in conjunction with NATO-led forces captured Taliban commander Mullah Bahadar from Khogyani district on Friday,\”the press release said.

The arrested commander was involved in conducting terrorist activities including organizing roadside bombings in Khogyani and other parts of Nangarhar province, according to the press release.

Taliban militants have not to make comment yet.

Related:

Pakistan says Taliban arrests have no links with Afghan reconciliation

ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistan Thursday rejected criticism at the arrests of senior Afghan Taliban leaders, saying there was no linkage between arrests and talks of reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has arrested Mulla Baradar, second-in-command to the Taliban Chief Mulla Omar, in the southern port city of Karachi last month. At least six other Afghan Taliban leaders have been arrested in two months, according to security officials.? Full story

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Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gather on a road during a rally in Bangkok March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.

The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.

At about 10.30 a.m.local time, the march plan was announced by core leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship(UDD) group and shortly before 11.00 a.m. they started their procession.

Tens of thousands of the protestors led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship group have converged on Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call a new election.

The red-shirted or UDD group\’s main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of Bangkok.

In a bid to ensure security amid the continued mass rally, the Internal Security Act (ISA) has been imposed in Bangkok and Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan next to the capital until March 30.