Jordan probes attacks on protesters

Riot police beat protesters with sticks Friday on the streets of Amman, Jordan.A Jordanian official promises to probe "a police attack on a pro-reform march"4 police officers suspected of attacking protesters have already been detainedVideo shows police beating, punching and kicking people, some of them journalists

(CNN) -- A Jordanian official ordered an investigation Saturday to look into police officers' attacks on pro-reform demonstrators in Amman, state-run media reported.

Riot police punched, kicked and beat protesters with sticks Friday on the streets of Amman, according to CNN reporters on the scene. Several journalists were among those caught up in the violence, in some instances attacked by police.

Police Capt. Mahmoud El-Khatib initially said that authorities only used "appropriate force" to prevent even worse bloodshed among what he called two groups of protesters -- one backing the government, the other calling for reform.

But witnesses said there were no such rival groups, blaming police using batons and other means to beat back protesters.

Lt. Gen. Hussein Majali, the head of Jordan's public security department, on Saturday described the incident as a "police attack on a pro-reform march in Amman," according to the Petra news agency. This same report said the demonstration was organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and youth groups, which is distinct from its account the previous day.

Majali called for the creation of a panel of "senior officers" to investigate, a probe that began Friday night. This investigation, which will use "video material available to the committee," is expected to be done within 72 hours, followed by possible criminal trials.

Already, four policemen have been detained as suspects for their involvement in the violence, according to Petra, which was citing a statement from the Middle Eastern nation's public security department.

While there have been demonstrations in Jordan, as elsewhere in the Arab world, they have been largely peaceful and few have called for the ouster of its ruler, King Abdullah II.

Still, the violence Friday was at times stark.

One man lay on the ground, covered with blood-soaked tissues after a witness said he was hit in the head. Another man had a big gash on his arm. A woman, part of a group of 20 huddled together, said she felt shaky after being knocked in the head.

The state-run news report did not offer a casualty count, beyond claiming that 17 police officers were injured in the clashes.

There were "light to medium injuries to a number of journalists," Petra reported.

Mohammed Hanoun, a photographer, said he was attacked by police -- arguing with an official press liaison, who denied the media was being targeted.

"This is the moment I was hit," said Hanoun, showing a picture. "Do you see it? This is the last picture I took; he hit me with the shield."

Journalists typically wear orange vests in Jordan so they can be identified from protesters or police. Many media members took off their orange vests in solidarity with attacked journalists on Friday.

Salman Al Masaed, who was in the front row of the pro-reform demonstration, said he had no doubt that it was police -- and not rival protesters -- waging the offensive.

"We did not see a single person attack us," he said. "The only people that attacked us were the security forces, with their batons."

CNN

Apple probes blast at Chinese plant (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is investigating an explosion that killed two people, injured 16 and forced a production halt at a Foxconn Technology Group factory in China said to produce the popular iPad 2.

Foxconn, whose flagship unit is Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industries (2317.TW) group and Apple's main manufacturing partner, said in a statement the explosion happened at about 7 pm local time (1100 GMT) on May 20.

"Production has been suspended at the site of the explosion until the completion of the investigation," Foxconn said in a statement.

"The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident."

It did not name the affected plant or say what it made, but China's official Xinhua News Agency said it was the Hongfujin Precision Electronics plant in a high-tech industrial zone west of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

Hon Hai spokesman Edmund Ding said the company is still evaluating losses. He could not say whether group founder and chairman Terry Gou had gone to the site.

IPAD AFFECTED

Apple shares closed down 1.56 percent at $335.22 on the Nasdaq, which saw a broad sell-off on euro-zone debt worries.

The explosion could affect the supply of iPads and investors were watching closely. Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company was assessing the situation.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the Foxconn plant in Chengdu and our hearts go out to the victims and their families," he said. "We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event."

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White said the factory makes a lot of iPads because some production had been shifted to the facility from factories in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Apple's iPad 2 commands 80 percent of the burgeoning tablet market in which Motorola Inc (MMI.N) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) also compete.

Apple sold 4.69 million iPads last quarter and is scrambling to meet staggering demand for the mobile device, but is heavily backlogged. Executives had expected production to ramp up during the present quarter to meet demand.

The plant explosion is the latest setback for Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer.

The company made headlines last year after reports emerged about poor working conditions at factories in southern China, which critics say may have helped drive several employees to suicide.

The company pledged to improve employee welfare.

Facing higher wages in the southern China manufacturing belt, the scene of labor disputes last year, some Taiwanese manufacturers have opted to shift some operations to the country's interior, where costs are lower.

Foxconn also has plants in North America and Mexico, as well as in European countries, including Slovakia and Poland.

(Additional reporting by Clare Jim in Taipei; Editing by Edwin Chan, Lisa Von Ahn, Richard Chang and Andre Grenon; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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