Six killed at Pakistan political rally

The blast occurs in Butgram, about 80 miles north of IslamabadThe suicide attacker detonates explosives when he is stopped at the entrance to the rallyThe lawmaker who was scheduled to speak was not present, an official says

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack targeting a political rally in northwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.

The blast took place in Butgram, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Islamabad in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province. The province was formerly known as the North West Frontier Province.

Amir Muqam, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), was scheduled to address the rally, said senior government official Khalid Umarzai.

The lawmaker had not yet arrived when security personnel stopped the alleged bomber at the entrance to the event, Umarzai said.

The bomber then detonated explosives, he said.

Among those killed were two police officers, two women and a child, Umarzai said.

Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report.

CNN

With Maoists Refusing To Turn Over Their Arms, Nepal Totters On The Edge Of Political Crisis (Time.com)

By FREDERIC KOLLER / LE TEMPS / WORLDCRUNCH FrEdEric Koller / Le Temps / Worldcrunch – Sat Jun 4, 11:05 am ET

This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Temps.

KATHMANDU - Welcome to the capital city of a state on the verge of bankruptcy. The roads are crumbling. There isn't enough street lighting. Power gets cut regularly, and trade has been dismal for years. Regular strikes and protest movements don't help much either, which scare off potential tourists from the Himalayan paradise.

Nepal represents the main crossing point between two of the most dynamic economies in the world, China and India. But it is also one of the planet's poorest countries, still very much dependent on international aid. (See more about missing people in Nepal.)

The economic stagnation can largely be blamed on endemic political gridlock that has long afflicted Nepal. A potential breakthrough came just last week when the country's three major political parties did manage to cobble together an 11th-hour agreement to save the current Constituent Assembly. Still, the situation remains highly unstable. The agreement extends the life of the Assembly by three months - and what happens after remains to be seen. After three years of vain attempts to conclude a peace process and to draft a democratic Constitution, local observers are skeptical about whether the three major parties will ultimately be able to reach a deal. "We are sitting on top of a volcano," says Yubaraj Ghimire, a political analyst.

From the outside, the situation looks quite confusing, to say the least. Between 1995 and 2005 Nepal was embroiled in a lengthy civil war pitting government forces against Maoist rebels. Soon after the war ended, the country's monarchy fell, though the main political party, composed of ex-Maoist rebels, continued to struggle with ideologically-fueled internal divisions. (See pictures inside Nepal's Maoist camps.)

Five years have gone by since a peace agreement between the government and the Maoists was signed under the aegis of India. Nonetheless, there are still some fundamental political disputes to be addressed, among them the demobilization and disarming of more than 19,000 Maoist soldiers.

"In 2006, the Maoists and the opposition parties committed themselves to set up a truth and reconciliation commission, to hold an inquiry on human rights violations committed during the Civil war, to enable displaced people to return home, and to get to the bottom of the numerous missing-person cases. But nothing has been done," says Ghimire.

That explains why the Nepalese Congress, the main opposition party, refused until the very last moment to extend the life of the Assembly, which they accuse of playing into the Maoists' hands.

"This extension is a victory for the Maoists. They have refused to surrender their weapons and to demobilize their army [the People's Liberation Army]," says Narayan Wagle, editor-in-chief of the localNagarik daily.

The Nepalese Congress did obtain one major concession: the promised departure of current Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khamal, a member of the unified Maxist-Leninist party, Nepal's largest communist party. (Is Nepal's Peace Process Destined to Fail?)

"Unlike the Maoists, the Nepalese Congress renounced Marxist-Leninist ideology 20 years ago and now they are advocating reforming socialism. But the party is split into two groups: on the one hand there are the liberal democrats and on the other hand, the former guardsmen who are ready to compromise with the Maoists," says Wagle.

The Maoists are also internally divided - between two vice presidents. One defends the idea of a people's republic based on the Chinese model, while the other is sympathetic to the idea of a parliamentary democracy. "Prachanda [his full name is Puspa Kamal Dahal], the Maoist party chairman, often changes his mind. One day, he backs one of his two vice-presidents, the day after, he backs the other one. Things are very unclear," Wagle says.

People's Liberation Army soldiers, who are now state employees, do not want to surrender their weapons without first obtaining guarantees that some of them will be able to join the national armed forces.

The Maoists are widely viewed as hindering the peace process and the establishment of a parliamentary republic. Yet they remain very popular with young people and in rural areas, where Hindu temples are often adorned with communist flags. (Read "With an Eye to India and Tibet, China Courts Nepal.")

"The majority of the Nepalese population is very young. And young people want things to change rapidly," says Wagle. "Some of them see the Maoists as the party that will bring positive changes, that has established a republic and that defends the idea of a federal state, the poor and the trade unions. The opposition parties, in contrast, don't have charismatic leaders."

The Maoists' refusal to surrender their weapons is not the only thing hindering negotiations. Ethnic and language divisions are a stumbling block as well. The Nepalese population is divided into approximately 100 different ethnic groups.

Nepalese people practicing Hinduism are the country's largest ethnic group, but they are divided into various castes. Last Saturday, in front of the palace where political negotiators were meeting, members of the the small Hindu-affiliated party Rastriya Prajatantra were quick to demand the abolition of the Constituent Assembly.

"We want a constitutional monarchy that will defend the Hindu identity. The King embodies Nepal's unity. The Maoists want Nepal to become like China," says Rastriya Prajatantra party member Krish-na Hari Mainali. The three-month extension for the Constituent Assembly gives all sides in the national debate a bit more wiggle room, though solving the deeper impasse will be a much trickier puzzle.

"The only lasting solution will be to form a coalition government that will include the main political parties, and to offer the position of prime minister to the Maoists in order to reassure them," he says.

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Read "Nepal: The Man Who Would Be King, Again."

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Meowing senator touches off political row (Reuters)

CANBERRA (Reuters) – A meowing Australian senator touched off a political row in Canberra on Wednesday after his cat imitation directed at Finance Minister Penny Wong sparked accusations that the opposition behaved like sexists and goons, and were feral.

Liberal Tasmanian Senator David Bushby meowed at Wong at a hearing when Wong - Australia's first Malaysian-born and first openly gay cabinet member - fought constant interruptions.

A visibly livid Wong snapped, "Oh yes, why don't you meow when a woman does that? ... The blokes are allowed to yell, but if a woman stands her ground, you want to make that kind of comment.

"It's sort of schoolyard politics, mate."

Bushby initially refused to withdraw but issued an apology - on Twitter - after a barrage of attacks in Parliament during question time and comments by Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan that the opposition was sexist and behaved ferally.

For a video of the exchange between Wong and Bushby, click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeDD9tnFw4

(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; editing by Elaine Lies)

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AU urges political solution for Libyan conflict (AFP)

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – The African Union on Wednesday called for a political solution to Libya's protracted conflict, weighing in once more on the crisis though its proposals have largely been ignored.

The pan-African bloc has called for a ceasefire and set up a high-level mediation team, but its efforts have had little effect on the ground as Western powers continue with air raids against Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

"I am convinced that only a political solution can lead to a lasting peace and satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people," said Jean Ping, head of the AU Commission, the pan-African bloc's executive body.

"The situation in Libya remains a serious concern for us, for the future of Libya itself as well as for regional countries," Ping said at a special summit Wednesday in Addis Ababa.

"Unfortunately the current situation on the ground and the lack of coordination of international efforts do not favour the search for a solution."

The AU is opposed to the international military action against the Libyan regime and last month proposed a ceasefire plan, which was rejected by the Libyan rebels who insisted on Kadhafi's departure first.

Kadhafi himself however readily accepted the plan.

The AU also proposed a transition period for negotiations to organise elections.

But the AU's proposals for resolving the north African country's months-long crisis, including the mediation team made up of African heads of state, have largely been snubbed, most recently even by South Africa.

Before the talks even opened in Addis Ababa, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma said he would visit Tripoli for talks with Kadhafi on Monday.

Presidency sources said the talks would focus on Kadhafi's "exit strategy."

Libyan rebels have not warmed to the AU's overtures either, wary of the ties between the continental body and Kadhafi, who is one of the bloc's main financiers.

However Ping insisted that "the roadmap proposed by the AU has all the elements for a solution. We need to be given the opportunity to effect it."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, also attending the special summit, renewed his call for a ceasefire.

"Last night, I spoke at length once again with the Libyan prime minister (Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi) to listen to his concerns over the recent intensified bombing campaign," Ban said.

"I reiterated the urgent need for a real ceasefire and serious negotiations on a transition to a government that fully meets the aspiration of the Libyan people."

Libya has been mired in a bloody conflict pitting Kadhafi's forces against opposition rebels since the eruption of massive anti-government protests in mid-February.

An international coalition intervened on March 19, launching air raids and missile strikes under a UN mandate aimed at protecting civilians from Kadhafi's forces. NATO took command of the air campaign on March 31.

The alliance this week intensified bombardments against the Libyan regime, seeking to deliver a decisive blow to Kadhafi's government.

"Despite some speculation about differences, all of us, without equivocation, condemned the violent events," Ban said. "All of us recognise the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people for freedom, democracy, respect for human rights, dignity and justice."

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8 political takeaways from the census

A political lesson from the census for both parties: Voters, like these from Miami-Dade County, are more diverse. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The census's influence doesn't stop with redistricting
Hispanic population is exploding, but GOP has seen Hispanic support slip since 2004
The battleground states are moving south and west
New electoral math makes it harder for a Democrat to win the presidency
RELATED TOPICSU.S. CensusU.S. PoliticsRepublican PartyDemocratic Party (CNN) -- The census is inherently political, even if most people don't see it that way.

Every 10 years, new census data is used to reapportion congressional seats across the country, while all states must use the census to redraw congressional districts.

These processes don't get much attention, but the stakes are high: They help determine control of Congress and state legislatures and, because they determine the Electoral College map, who wins the White House.

And the census's political influence doesn't stop there.

Because it presents a unique demographic portrait of the country, the census is mined for political intelligence by strategists from both parties and applied to campaigns from the county level all the way up to the presidency.

Here are eight political takeaways from the 2010 Census:

1. Republicans need to improve relations with Hispanics. Fast.

The single biggest headline from the 2010 Census may be the explosion in Hispanic growth. More than half of U.S. population growth in the last decade is due to growth among Hispanics; nearly one in six Americans now identify as Hispanic.

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