Lebanon bloc urges arrests in Hariri killing (AP)

BEIRUT – Lebanon's pro-Western political faction has called on the government to respect an international tribunal calling for the arrest of four Hezbollah members in the assassination of a former prime minister.

Hezbollah's leader denies his group had any role in Rafik Harri's 2005 killing and has vowed to protect suspects from arrest.

But the pro-Western bloc known as March 14 said in a statement late Sunday that Hezbollah is holding the country hostage by making it choose between justice and stability.

The Cabinet is packed with Hezbollah allies, so there is little enthusiasm within the current leadership to press forward with the case.

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Obama urges deal on debt ceiling talks

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called on lawmakers Wednesday to overcome the "selfish" norms of politics and "do their job" in order to strike a deal on raising the federal government's current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by the start of August.

People shouldn't get "spooked," but "the yellow light is flashing," he warned. "This is urgent."

Top economic analysts have warned of potentially catastrophic economic consequences if the ceiling is not raised by August 2, including skyrocketing interest rates and a plummeting U.S. dollar.

The president blasted congressional Republicans for refusing to consider raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as part of any deal. Congress needs to be willing to "take on their sacred cows and do tough things" while moving away from "maximalist positions," he said.

He said Congress should cancel upcoming summer vacations if a deal isn't struck by the end of the week.

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"I've been here," he said. "Let's get it done."

Obama made his remarks during a wide-ranging news conference covering the state of the economy, the wars in Afghanistan and Libya, and hot-button social issues such as same-sex marriage. It came at a time of rising questions over Obama's ability to maintain control of the political narrative and boost public confidence in his stewardship in the run-up to next year's presidential election.

GOP leaders showed no signs of yielding in their opposition to higher taxes as part of any grand bargain with the White House. Recent bipartisan talks led by Vice President Joe Biden collapsed over the tax disagreement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, took to the Senate floor before the start of Obama's news conference to declare that Republicans will "refuse to let the taxpayers take the hit when it comes to reducing the debt."

The debate is "about holding Washington accountable for a change," McConnell said. "It's about drawing a line in the sand and saying, no, the taxpayers will not bail out politicians. It's about refusing to subsidize the Democrats' irresponsible spending habits another day."

For his part, the president ripped Republicans for protecting "millionaires and billionaires," oil companies, hedge fund managers, and owners of corporate jets. The wealthy, he said, can afford to pay higher taxes.

"You can still ride on your corporate jet. You're just going to pay a little more," Obama said.

At the same time, the president pushed Congress to act on a series of pending measures to help strengthen the economy faster, including easing the ability of entrepreneurs to get patents, providing loans to private companies for infrastructure development, and approving free trade agreements.

Obama noted that America's economy has gone through a series of major structural changes.

As a result, the country's economic problems are "not going to be solved overnight," he stressed.

Turning his attention overseas, Obama dismissed criticism that his administration failed to obtain clear congressional approval before committing U.S. military forces to the NATO-led campaign in Libya.

Some representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle argue the White House has violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which gives a president 60 days to get congressional approval for sending U.S. forces to war, followed by a 30-day extension to end hostilities.

The combined 90-day period ended last week.

Obama insisted that the War Powers Resolution does not apply in the case of Libya.

The law was intended to avoid a repeat of a Vietnam-style war, he said. In contrast, "this operation is limited in time and in scope."

"We have engaged in a limited operation to help a lot of people against one of the worst tyrants in the world," the president said. "A lot of this fuss" over the U.S. intervention in Libya "is politics."

"We have done exactly what I said we would do" in Libya, Obama argued. America's allies "have carried a big load when it comes to these NATO operations" while "we've sent reams of information" to Capitol Hill.

"The noose is tightening" around longtime Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, he asserted.

Obama's argument echoed those made Tuesday by Harold Koh, a top State Department legal adviser, who argued before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the law does not apply to American forces in Libya because the U.S. mission is limited in terms of its scope, means, exposure of forces, and chances of escalation.

In short, administration officials believe the U.S. role in Libya does not meet the law's definition of hostilities.

Obama, however, overruled contrary legal opinions put forward by both the Pentagon and the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in declining to seek congressional authorization, according to the New York Times.

Turning to the debate over same-sex marriage, the president refused to provide new specifics about his personal opinion. He has indicated in the past that his views on the matter are "evolving."

He noted, however, that his administration has stopped defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act against legal challenges.

Obama argued it is up to states to determine if they will legalize same-sex marriage, as New York recently did.

"The president, I've discovered since I've been in office, can't dictate precisely how this process moves," the president said.

The nation is "moving toward greater equality," Obama added. "I think that's a good thing."

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UN panel urges Ireland to probe Catholic torture (AP)

GENEVA – A United Nations panel urged Ireland on Monday to investigate allegations that for decades women and girls sent to work in Catholic laundries were tortured.

The panel said the government failed in its obligation to oversee the nun-run laundries "where it is alleged that physical, emotional abuses and other ill-treatment were committee." It has asked for compensation for the victims.

Human rights groups say young women were abused after being sent to the so-called Magdalene Laundries, a network of 10 workhouses that operated in Ireland from the 1920s to the mid-1990s. Many of the victims were teenagers who arrived as punishment for petty crimes or for becoming pregnant out of wedlock.

The Geneva-based U.N. Committee against Torture said the Irish government "should institute prompt, independent, and thorough investigations into all allegations of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment that were allegedly committed" at the laundries.

Although child abuse was publicized in films such as "The Magdalene Sisters," Ireland has been slow to confront abuse within Catholic dioceses and church-run institutions.

The U.N. panel's report, published Monday, recommended that the Irish government "in appropriate cases, prosecute and punish the perpetrators with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the offenses committed."

It also called on authorities to ensure all victims received the right to demand compensation.

An international campaign group called on the government to respond swiftly to the U.N. recommendations.

"This is a population of women who are aging and elderly," said the group Justice for Magdalenes, which campaigns for the victims and has demanded a formal apology from the Irish government.

"Having suffered torture or ill-treatment, in which the state directly participated and which it knowingly failed to prevent, the women have the ongoing right to an investigation, an apology, redress and treatment with dignity," said rights expert Maeve O'Rourke, who presented the group's submission to the U.N. panel last month.

The panel made similar recommendations about alleged abuses in boys' institutions.

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U.N. panel's report: http://bit.ly/je3toS

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U.S. urges immediate Yemen move to democracy (Reuters)

RIYADH/SANAA (Reuters) – The United States on Monday called on Yemen to move toward democracy while President Ali Abdullah Saleh recovers from shrapnel wounds in Saudi Arabia.

While Yemen's acting leader insisted Saleh would return in days, diplomats and analysts feel Saleh's stay in Saudi Arabia may be prolonged as regional heavyweight Riyadh tries to press Saleh to hand over power to prevent its neighbor imploding.

"We are calling for a peaceful and orderly transition," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters. "We feel that an immediate transition is in the best interests of the Yemeni people."

Saleh, 69, is being treated in a Riyadh hospital after he was wounded on Friday when a rocket struck his Sanaa palace, killing seven people and wounding senior officials and advisers.

"(Saleh) is in Saudi Arabia receiving medical treatment. There is a civilian government that remains in place in Yemen. We believe that the time is now to begin that peaceful transition toward a democratic process," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing.

Pressure has mounted on all parties to find an exit strategy to clashes bringing Yemen to the brink of civil war, amid worries it could become a failed state home to an al Qaeda wing adjacent to the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-brokered truce was holding in Sanaa after two weeks of fighting between Saleh's forces and a powerful tribal group which killed more than 200 people and forced thousands to flee.

But there was fresh fighting in the flashpoint southern city of Taiz, where the United Nations said it was investigating reports that as many as 50 have been killed in the past week.

An opposition party coalition, which joined months of street protests to end Saleh's three-decade rule, said it backed transferring power to the vice-president, Abu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is now the acting leader.

Hadi was quoted as saying on the Saba state news agency that Saleh's health was improving and he "would return to the homeland in the coming days."

But a diplomat in the region said: "I don't think the Saudis or his people want him back. He doesn't have regional support."

Yemenis have awaited word on whether Saleh would sign a Gulf-brokered transition deal he has so far rejected.

In a joint statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Prime Ministers of Britain, Spain and Italy, thanked Saudi Arabia for receiving Saleh for treatment, and called on all parties in Yemen to "find a means of reconciliation on the basis of the GCC initiative."

SAUDI INFLUENCE

The Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council urged all parties to work to end violence and said it was continuing its efforts to negotiate a power-transfer deal.

Yemen , which relies on oil for 60 percent of its economy, has been dealt a heavy blow by the closure of an oil pipeline that trade sources said have caused a fuel shortages.

But the future of Yemen, riven by complex rivalries among tribal leaders, generals and politicians, remains uncertain.

"Saleh's departure to Saudi Arabia isn't just courtesy from the Saudi ruling family," said Egyptian political analyst Nabil Abdel-Fattah. "The security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf is linked to security in Yemen."

Youthful protesters, interpreting Saleh's absence as potentially permanent, continued to celebrate in Sanaa where they have staged anti-government demonstrations since January.

"Who is next?" asked one banner held up by protesters in a sea of red, white and black Yemeni flags, referring to the wave of uprisings in Arab world that has toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and inspired revolts in Syria, Libya and Bahrain.

Yemen's pro-Saleh state media said his supporters took to streets to celebrate "a successful operation" in the provinces of Ibb and Dhamar with song, dance and shooting into the air.

Saleh's departure could make it hard for the veteran president to retain control, although his close relatives still command key military units and security forces.

Other contenders in a possible power struggle include the well-armed Hashed tribal federation, breakaway military leaders, Islamists, leftists and an angry public seeking relief from crippling poverty, corruption and failing public services.

In the meantime, fuel shortages in many parts of the country worsened as the main oil pipeline remained shut and tight funding hit imports.

A blast in March on the pipeline, suspected to have been carried out by angry tribesmen, has stopped the flow of light Marib crude, which has forced the 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) Aden refinery to shut and hurt fuel supplies.

Saleh, a political survivor, has defied global calls to step down and survived the defection of top generals, ministers and ambassadors who left the government after troops killed many demonstrators in March. More than 450 people have been killed in the unrest shaking the nation of 23 million since late January.

Saleh has exasperated his former U.S. and Saudi allies, who once saw him as a key counter-terrorism partner, by repeatedly reneging on the transition plan, even though it offered him immunity from prosecution -- something rejected by protesters.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf in Aden, Andrew Hammond, Reed Stevenson; Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul and Jonathan Saul in London; Writing by Jon Herskovitz, Shaimaa Fayed and Martina Fuchs in Dubai; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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U.N. urges Japan nuclear safety overhaul after Fukushima (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) – U.N. atomic safety experts said Japan underestimated the threat from a killer wave to its crippled Fukushima power plant and urged sweeping changes to prevent a repeat of the crisis that triggered the word's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

In a report presented to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Wednesday, an 18-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for a rethink of the way nuclear facilities are built, run and regulated.

Officials have been criticized for failing to plan for a tsunami that would overrun the 5.7-meter (19 ft) wall at the plant in the northeast of the country, despite forecasts from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co's scientists that such a risk was looming.

The wave that crashed into the plant after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake of March 11 has been estimated at around 14 meters (46 ft), nearly two-and-a-half times the height of the wall.

The IAEA report represented the first outside review of the crisis at Fukushima, which has still not been brought under control, and suggested that power companies in quake-prone countries may face higher hurdles in coming years to meet new international standards.

The report could also mark a new phase in a growing debate within Japan about how -- and whether -- the country's 49 remaining nuclear plants can return to operation.

"What we are trying to do is reflect on this and push for the highest safety standards worldwide," said Michael Weightman, Britain's top nuclear safety regulator and the leader of the IAEA inspection team.

The three-page IAEA report urged Japan to overhaul its system of nuclear regulation in order to make officials overseeing safety independent of the ministry that promotes nuclear power.

In 2007, the IAEA was ignored when it called on Japan to create a more powerful and independent nuclear regulator and clarify the responsibilities of the four government agencies with some responsibility for plant safety.

Goshi Hosono, a Kan aide who received the IAEA report, said a set of post-disaster reforms due to be announced as soon as next week would take up the question of how to make its nuclear regulatory agency independent.

"I think that the way nuclear plants are regulated will be taken up as one of the problem areas," Hosono told reporters.

Workers and officials have described a scene of near chaos when the quake and tsunami hit Fukushima on March 11. Key safety systems, including gauges and vents, were disabled and it was not clear in the crucial first hours who was responsible for decision making, according to accounts.

The IAEA said workers at Fukushima had been "dedicated" and "determined" but urged Japan to build "hardened" command centers to allow for a better response in future emergencies.

FOCUS ON CONSEQUENCES

The Fukushima crisis has prompted a rethink of energy policy in Japan and around the world. Germany's government has vowed to abandon nuclear power.

Japan has pulled back from a commitment to build new reactors, but it remains uncertain how quickly existing plants will be allowed to restart.

Currently Japan is operating only 19 of its pre-Fukushima tally of 54 reactors. Unless local officials can be convinced that Tokyo has a plan to make the others resistant to the kind of blackout that plunged Fukushima into meltdown, more plants will drop off-line for maintenance.

In the worst case, all of Japan's reactors could be shut down by the middle of 2012. That would take out 30 percent of the nation's electricity generation and raise the risk of deeper, near-permanent power rationing, officials say.

Weightman said nuclear plants could be made safe in Japan, but said it would take a line of new defenses against tsunamis and a commitment to rethink safety standards over time.

"You can't predict when a natural disaster will occur, but you can say, 'let me predict the consequences'," he said.

The IAEA report said Japanese officials would need to show a longer-term plan for cleaning radiation from around Fukushima so that the more than 80,000 residents evacuated from the area could return. It urged stepped-up and long-term health monitoring for residents and workers.

Opposition parties seeking to topple Kan's government with a no-confidence vote say the government bungled the early response to Fukushima. Environmental critics, including Greenpeace, charge Japan with ignoring a growing risk to radiation spilling into sea and groundwater.

The crisis has also diverted resources from rebuilding after the quake and tsunami that killed about 24,000 people in northern coastal Japan.

Experts say the IAEA report represents a starting point in the debate over what needs to be done to make nuclear plants safe in a country where the risks of earthquakes are still imperfectly understood.

"There are aspects of the planning for the safety of the Fukushima plant which are, in retrospect, very stupid, and show a lack of imagination," said Kim Kearfott, a University of Michigan nuclear safety expert who toured Japan on her own this week. "The nuclear industry can do better than this."

(Editing by John Chalmers)

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China urges factory safety after iPad plant blast (AP)

BEIJING – Beijing urged Foxconn Technology Group and other Taiwanese companies on Wednesday to ensure safety in their mainland China factories after a fatal blast at a facility that makes Apple iPads.

Last Friday's explosion at the facility owned by Foxconn, Apple's main manufacturing contractor, killed three employees. Foxconn blamed combustible dust in a workshop that polishes products and suspended production at the factory in the western city of Chengdu, prompting questions about whether supplies of the popular iPad 2 might be disrupted.

"We hope Foxconn and other Taiwan-invested enterprises can learn from this, carry out their safety responsibilities, strengthen internal inspection and management, root out hidden dangers in a timely way and ensure safe production," said Fan Liqing, a spokesman for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Taiwanese companies have invested billions of dollars in the mainland despite their government's lack of formal ties with Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

Fan said the Chengdu explosion was believed to be a "production safety incident" but gave no details.

Foxconn, a unit of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., manufactures mobile phones, computers and other products under contract for Apple Inc. and other global brands such as Hewlett Packard Inc. The company employs an estimated 1 million to 1.1 million people in China at a series of huge factory campuses.

Other Taiwanese-owned factories in China producing clothing, toys and other goods employ millions more. They are moving into higher-value electronics, computer chips and other products.

Foxconn produces the iPad 2 in Chengdu and at its flagship China manufacturing campus in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.

The company has not said how iPad 2 production might be affected, but research firm IHS iSuppli said lost output might total 500,000 units at a time when Apple says it is struggling to keep up with strong demand.

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Foxconn Technology Group: http://www.foxconn.com

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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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