The death toll mounts in the first anniversary of Syria’s uprising. And Ethiopian forces retaliated against Eritrea. I’m Frances Alonzo reporting from Washington.
At least 23 people are reported dead as Syrian forces continue their (crackdown) on dissent. On the first anniversary of the uprising against the Syrian government, state television is showing rallies in support of President Bashar al-Assad in a number of cities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says in the latest violence, 23 bodies were dumped in the northern Idlib region showing signs of (torture). Amin Saikal, the director of the Center of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, told VOA he does not expect swift U.N. action. The United Nations-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan meanwhile is scheduled to brief the U.N. Security Council Friday on his (mediation effort). Annan was in Damascus last weekend, meeting with Syrian authorities.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for U.S. troops to pull back from Afghan villages and relocate to their bases after the killing of 16 civilians in southern Afghanistan earlier this week, allegedly by a U.S. soldier. Mr. Karzai also told visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the Afghan government wants to (take full control of) the country’s security in 2013 rather than 2014 as planned. During Thursday’s talks in Kabul, the Afghan leader told Panetta, Afghanistan is ready to take over all (security responsibilities) now.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced Wednesday that it has moved that army soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians out of Afghanistan. Luis Ramirez reports.
Charges have yet to be filed against a U.S. Army sergeant who witnesses say left his base in Kandahar province and went on a shooting rampage in two villages, killing 16 civilians, including several children. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says U.S. forces moved him out of Afghanistan because they do not have the proper (detention facilities). Kirby says the soldier’s safety was also a factor.
“And now we have to by our own policies and regulations, and for his safety and security, and to be appropriately available to investigators, we had to move him to a different detention facility.”
Officials are withholding his identity until charges are filed. Luis Ramirez, VOA News, at the Pentagon.
Ethiopia says its forces have attacked a military base inside (arch-rival) Eritrea, in what Ethiopia calls an act of retaliation. A government spokesman said Ethiopian troops moved 16 kilometers into Eritrea early Thursday and launched what he called a successful attack against two military posts used by (subversive groups). He said the groups are sponsored by the Eritrean government, and have carried out attacks inside Ethiopia.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, known as the FAO, is meeting in Vietnam. And it is urging other countries to follow its example in (boosting) agricultural production. Marianne Brown reports from Hanoi.
The Asia Pacific is home to more than 60% of the world’s people suffering from hunger and (malnutrition). The FAO regional conference is focusing on finding sustainable ways to increase production in the face of rising food prices. Retail rice prices in Asia are 10 to 30 percent higher than at this time last year. The FAO’s Asia director, Hiroyuki Konuma, said the global population is expected to grow by another 1 billion people by 2050, which means there is very little potential to expand agricultural land, especially in Asia. That is why, he said, food production depends on increased yields. Marianne Brown in Hanoi for VOA News.
U.S. President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart are hailing Thursday’s inauguration of a long-stalled free trade agreement. The pact, known as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, was signed in 2007, but was not approved by lawmakers in either country until late last year due to (political opposition) and changes of government in both countries.
The U.S. says new claims for (unemployment benefits) matched a four-year low last week. It is a new signal that the labor market is improving in the world’s largest economy. The government said Thursday that 351,000 jobless workers made initial claims for unemployment compensation. That is 14,000 fewer than the week before. Meanwhile, European Union officials said Thursday the number of employed workers in the 17-nation euro currency bloc fell two-tenths of a percent in the last three months of 2011.
VOA News.