Anti-govt Reds reject offer of talks with Thai premier

Asian Defense News: BANGKOK (AFP) - – Anti-government protesters Friday rejected a conditional offer of talks by Thailand's premier -- saying they would continue their struggle until they had toppled his administration.

The "Red Shirts" rallied for a sixth day in support of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with leaders of the dwindling Bangkok protest vowing there would be no negotiations until the dissolution of the lower house.

Anti-govt Reds reject offer of talks with Thai premier

"I am willing to talk but it should not be under this climate of intimidation," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in an interview on an army-run national television channel.

But leaders of the largely rural-based Red Shirts said they would hound Abhisit until he bows to their demands, beseeching supporters at the rally to remain and calling for class war.

"The Red Shirts are not refusing to negotiate but the prime minister has to dissolve the house first and all parties have to sign a pact saying they will respect the result of elections so the country can move ahead," Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan told the crowd.

Police said about 18,000 red-clad protesters remained on Thursday during the rally's evening peak, less than a fifth of the number who turned out nearly a week ago when the group swept into the capital to call for snap elections.

Bangkok and surrounding provinces remain under a strict security clampdown for the so-far peaceful rally, with a 50,000-strong force of soldiers and police on the streets.

He said their next move would be to travel in convoy around Bangkok on Saturday to garner more support and spread their anti-elitist message.

The protesters, whose numbers reached more than 100,000 when the rally began last Sunday, say Abhisit's government is illegitimate because it came to power with army backing via a December 2008 parliamentary vote, after a controversial court ruling removed Thaksin's allies.

The next polls must be held by December 2011.

Reds say they are fighting Thailand's privileged elites in the bureaucracy, military and palace, whom they accuse of ousting elected governments and defending social inequality.

Twice-elected Thaksin, who was deposed in a coup in 2006, has been egging on his supporters via videolink and online postings from exile, as he avoids a two-year jail term for corruption at home.

Despite rumours that he has been forced out of his main base in Dubai, on Friday Thaksin said on Twitter that he had returned there following a trip to the Balkan state of Montenegro, as he encouraged the Reds to press on.

Since Thaksin's ousting, Thailand has been rocked by protests of both his supporters and opponents that have sometimes turned violent.

Japan, France call on Iran to resolve nuclear crisis nowJapan, France call on Iran to resolve nuclear crisis now

Asian Defense News: TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan and France Thursday pushed Iran to allay international suspicions about its nuclear programme, saying the time has come for Tehran to reject suggestions that it might be developing atomic bombs.

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner said they "share serious concerns" about Iran's nuclear programme, as the US and European nations mount pressure for new sanctions on Tehran.

Japan, France call on Iran to resolve nuclear crisis now

"If Iran were to hold nuclear weapons, the seriousness of the matter is immeasurable," Okada told a joint press conference after his meeting with Kouchner.

"I said Iran has no more time left. They have to decide now," he told the press conference.

Japan must play a sensitive balancing act, as the resource-pour nation relies heavily on Iran for its energy supplies. In a rare break with the United States, its main ally, Japan has maintained warm ties with Iran.

France, the United States and others however are stepping up efforts to rally support for fresh United Nations sanctions on Iran, which key world powers suspect is trying to make a nuclear weapon.

The Islamic Republic insists its uranium-enrichment activities are aimed at generating power for civilian use.

Kouchner said many nations have tried to engage Iran but have not been successful, adding that the international community must take more decisive steps in dealing with Iran.

Okada, stressing that he respected Iran's culture and history, said Tokyo "will have to play an important role" when it becomes president of the UN Security Council in April.

"If the Security Council approves a new resolution, we will not hesitate to implement it," he said.

Japan has received frequent international calls to play a more assertive role in pushing Iran over its nuclear programme.

US Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg visited Japan earlier this month and told Okada that Tokyo would have to play "a very critical role" to limit Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Among other topics discussed with Kouchner, Okada said he dealt with Japan's desire to sign a global treaty on international parent-child abductions.

Until Japan signs the agreement, Tokyo will prioritise allowing meetings between children and their divorced parents, he said.

Japan is the only country among the Group of Seven industrialised nations that has not signed the 1980 Hague Convention that requires countries to return a child wrongfully kept there to their home country.

Activists say thousands of foreign parents have lost access to children in Japan, where the courts virtually never award custody to a divorced foreign parent.

Japan to boost Haiti aid to $100 mln: report

Asian Defense News: TOKYO (AFP) - – Japan will boost its aid to quake-hit Haiti to 100 million dollars, a report said Friday as the country's foreign minister prepared to visit the impoverished Caribbean nation this weekend.

Japan, which has already pledged 70 million dollars in emergency aid and for long-term reconstruction, will raise the total sum by 30 million dollars, public broadcaster NHK said.

Japan to boost Haiti aid to $100 mln: report

The additional aid will pay for shelters for people left homeless after the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake struck on January 12, killing more than 220,000 people, the network said, without naming its sources.

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will announce the increase at a donors' conference at UN headquarters in New York on March 31, NHK said.

Okada will visit the quake-hit nation on Saturday. He is scheduled to meet President Rene Preval and observe Japanese troops dispatched there to join the UN peacekeeping mission, the foreign ministry said.

"The government will consider providing more to Haiti, including whether to raise the pledge in aid, after minister Okada's visit there," a ministry official said.

Haiti unveiled the first draft Tuesday of a grand reconstruction plan, saying 11.5 billion dollars would be needed to help the country rebuild after the quake, which left 1.3 million people homeless.

UN issues travel restrictions for staffers to Aceh

Asian Defense News: JAKARTA, Indonesia – The United Nations has issued a temporary travel ban for foreign staffers to the Indonesian province of Aceh because of ongoing police operations there against Islamist militants, a spokesman said Friday.

Police have shot dead seven suspected militants in Aceh and the main Indonesian island of Java since late February when they launched raids against a militant training camp in Aceh.

The travel restriction does not apply to Indonesian staff and will stay in place until the situation has stabilized, U.N. spokesman Michele Zaccheo told The Associated Press via telephone. Foreign staffers already based in Aceh have not been told to leave but additional U.N. workers will not be allowed to travel there, he said.

"This is a temporary security measure while national police operations are ongoing, and it is currently limited to travel by international staff," Zaccheo said.

U.N. personnel working in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh are following basic precautions, such as limiting their travel outside the city to essential journeys, he said. There are 300 U.N. staffers in Aceh, with foreigners accounting for about 10 percent.

The U.N. workers are in Aceh to help the province rebuild after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit in 2004.

Alcohol 'worse than drugs' in Pacific: report

Asian Defense News: SYDNEY (AFP) - – Alcohol abuse is a bigger problem for Pacific communities than drugs, according to an Australian report, which links drinking to domestic violence and wide-ranging health problems.

The Burnet Institute survey, commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs, found that alcohol was the key area of concern in the Pacific, some of whose isolated communities are among the most impoverished in the world.

Alcohol 'worse than drugs' in Pacific: report

"It very clearly identifies alcohol as the main substance of concern in the Pacific region and shows that cannabis is the key illicit drug of concern in the region," said co-author Robert Power on Thursday.

"Significantly this really is the first time we have a much clearer picture of the extensive harm occurring in countries that are our neighbours. Alcohol is considered to be the major factor contributing to numerous health problems affecting people in the Pacific."

The report calls for Australian and New Zealand drink-makers, whose products are widely consumed in the Pacific, to help ease the problem. Recommendations include providing treatment programs and improving data collection.

"We see constantly the clear harm alcohol causes to the Australian community," said John Herron, chairman of the Australian council.

"The rise of alcohol-related problems and the potential for it to escalate further in the Pacific is quite ominous -- especially if we don't act now."

Stars, Aussie tycoons launch Aboriginal jobs push

Asian Defense News: SYDNEY (AFP) - – Australia's Hollywood A-listers, prime minister and top tycoons were to launch a new campaign for Aboriginal jobs on Friday with a spectacular light show at Sydney's iconic Opera House.

Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe will join Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Andrew Forrest, the country's richest man, whose "Generation One" campaign aims to find jobs for disadvantaged Aborigines at Australia's top corporations.

Stars, Aussie tycoons launch Aboriginal jobs push

They will be among more than 400 prominent personalities, including billionaire gaming magnate James Packer, who will project their handprints on to the harbourside building's famous "sails".

"It's not about more welfare, it's about giving people self-respect through jobs," Packer said. "People can make a real difference -- one person at a time, one job at a time, one life at a time."

Fortescue Metals Group founder Forrest, who grew up alongside Aboriginal children in the Outback Pilbara region, said the campaign aimed to bring disadvantage into the spotlight and involve the entire Australian community.

"We don't need more money. We need action. We need matching of training to jobs," he said.

"It's not about, 'oh look, rich people can do more, poor people should be getting off their backsides or governments should be out there'. It is about every single Australian knowing the disparity doesn't have to continue."

Forrest hopes to sign 25,000 Australians onto his cause during a two-month tour of the huge country, which has funding and backing from corporate heavyweights including media baron Kerry Stokes and transport tycoon Lindsay Fox.

Aborigines, Australia's original inhabitants with a culture stretching back many thousands of years, are believed to have numbered around one million at the time of white settlement.

They now number just 470,000 out of a population of 22 million, and suffer disproportionately high rates of disease, imprisonment and unemployment. Indigenous men die, on average, 11.5 years earlier than non-Aboriginal males.

Rudd delivered an historic apology in February 2008 for Aborigines' mistreatment since white settlement in 1788, but last month admitted progress to improve their lives had been "too slow".

Facebook beats Google as US most-visited site

Asian Defense News: Melbourne, March 18 : Facebook has become the most-visited site in the US after beating former titleholder Google.

The popularsocial networkingpage toppled the search giant after accounting for 7.07 per cent of all US web trafficcompared to Google''s 7.03 per cent, web analysts Hitwise revealed.

"It''s definitely a big moment for Facebook, even though they beat by a small margin," News.com.au quoted Hitwise''s Matt Tatham as telling CNN.

He added: "People want information from friends they trust, versus the anonymity of a search engine."

The research did not include other Google services such as Gmail and YouTube.

Indo-Chinese business volume touches USD 40 bn, huge prospects ahead

Asian Defense News: Kolkata, Mar 19 : India and China, the two emerging Asian giants, have embarked on a closer economic cooperation by taking the volume of bilateral trade to a whopping USD 40 billion last year from only about USD 2.3 billion a few years ago, thereby registering an unprecedented 450 per cent increase.

This was informed by Ms Loretta Wan, Regional Director, Hong Kong TradeDevelopment Council (HKTDC), during a seminar on "Fast Track to Expand Business with China Via Hong Kong" here last night.

The international seminar was jointly organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and HKTDC in the wake of closer business ties between the two nations.

Referring to the prospects of furthering the trade volume to over USD 100 billion within the next three to four years, Ms Wan urged the captains of Indian industries to take full advantage of the huge market in China as a whole, and Hong Kong in particular, by taking part in joint venture projects.

Claiming that China was at present considered as the third largest economy of the world after the US and Japan, Ms Wan said more than USD 90 billion were invested in Hong Kong alone in 2009 by theinternational business community.

''This, however, was only the tip of an iceberg,'' she said.

Hong Kong's GDP growth during the past one decade was varying between 10.2 per cent and 10.5 per cent and its trade volume also grew by over 20 per cent during the same period, she said in support of her claims.

Google may cease operations in China by April 10

Asian Defense News: nternet search engine Google could cease operations in China by April 10, according to a Chinese newspaper.

The Times quoted an authorised Google spokesperson as saying that the departure date could be announced on Monday - a day after the company's staff are due to receive their annual year-end bonus.

"I have received information that Google will leave China on April 10, but this information has not at present been confirmed by Google," the Google spokesperson said.

Since the search engine's January announcement that it no longer wished to be under the pressure of the country's Internet restrictions, speculations have been rife as to when Google would pull out of China and which of its services would be affected.

China's online population is eager to know whether Gmail, Google Earth, its Chinese music search business and the popular Chinese version of its knowledge market site, Google Answers, will remain accessible after the closing of google.cn.

Last week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he hoped to have an outcome soon from talks with Chinese officials on offering an uncensored google.cn search engine in the country.

However, the chances that Chinese authorities will agree to such a request are believed to be nil.

Meanwhile, Google has continued to filter google.cn results to abide by Chinese regulations but it said it if China did not permit it to cease the screening it would be forced to withdraw from the market.

However, its google.com search engine, which is hosted on an offshore server, is unlikely to be affected unless Chinese cyber censors decide to block the service.

Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are all blocked in China and the Great Firewall also prevents access to many other sites deemed to contain sensitive content. (ANI)

India, China become leading nations to move urban population out of slums

Asian Defense News: With India and China lifting more and more of their urban population out of slum-like conditions every year, 227 million people across the world have moved out of urban slums over the past decade, according to a UN-Habitat report on the state of the world's cities.

China's urban population living in slums fell from 37.3 percent in 2000 to 28.2 percent today; in India, nearly 60 million were lifted from slum conditions over the same time.

The authors of the report credit China's economic reforms and pro-growth and urbanization policies, and India's efforts to provide microcredit, tenure, and basic services in slums.

"For the first time we are moving toward ... accommodating of the poor and of the slums," The Christian Science Monitor quoted Amita Bhide, an associate professor at the Centre for Urban Planning and Governance at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, as saying.

Estimates of the percentage of people who live in slums in Mumbai range from 49 to 60 percent, she said.

"There is, I feel, some sort of acceptance that slums are a very big constituency, so most slums have at least a basic level of services. Most Mumbai slums have access to safe water and some forms of access road. But when it comes to sanitation, the level of services is very poor," she added.

While half the world's population now lives in cities, the number of people living in slums has still grown, adding 55 million over the past decade to reach 827.6 million this year

The largest slum population worldwide is in sub-Saharan Africa, at nearly 200 million (61.7 percent of its urban population). That's followed by southern Asia, at 190 million (35 percent).

The UN defines a slum as lacking at least one of the following:. Durable housing that protects against extreme climate conditions

2. No more than three people sharing a room

3. Easy access to safe water

4. Access to a sanitary toilet

5. Secure tenure (ANI)