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World Digest: May 20, 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:40:43 GMT

Pakistan’s presumptive prime minister called Monday for peace talks with Taliban militants at war with the government, potentially charting a course that could put him at odds with the country’s powerful army.

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Afghan peace lost in transition worries

Pamela Constable — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:37:34 GMT

KABUL — Amid the scattered but steadily mounting carnage of the Taliban’s annual spring offensive, including a suicide bombing Monday that killed a provincial council head, hopes of stirring life into peace talks with the Islamist insurgents seem to be dying here with each new suicide attack, kidnapping and roadside bombing.

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Coca-Cola ad says Coke vending machines can soothe India-Pakistan tensions

Max Fisher — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:43:21 GMT

A new, three-minute ad by Coca-Cola, "Small World Machines," starts with a relatively straightforward premise: India and Pakistan do not get along so well. It ends with the promise of peace: "Togetherness, humanity, this is what we all want, more and more exchange," a woman, either Indian or Pakistani, narrates as the music swells. Sounds great. How do we get there? By buying Coke, of course.

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American held in North Korea had pledged to 'collapse' country with prayer

Max Fisher — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:40:08 GMT

Earlier this month, North Korean state media finally revealed the country's case against an American citizen named Kenneth Bae, who had been detained there since November. They listed three accusations: that he had smuggled in a critical documentary film, that he had plotted to bring the government's downfall through something called "Operation Jericho" and, oddly, that he had "infiltrated" dozens of students into a hotel in the North Korean city of Rason to establish a base of anti-regime activity.

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In Iran, disputes over foreign policy divide presidential candidates

Jason Rezaian — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:40:00 GMT

TEHRAN — Relief for Iran’s ailing economy will be the top priority of Iranians on June 14, when they vote to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. Foreign policy, however, will take on extra significance in the election, as Iran struggles to undo the economic and diplomatic isolation of the past four years.

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Chinese hackers who breached Google gained access to sensitive data, U.S. officials say

Ellen Nakashima — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:17:00 GMT

Chinese hackers who breached Google’s servers several years ago gained access to a sensitive database with years’ worth of information about U.S. surveillance targets, according to current and former government officials.

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China's culture of hacking cost the country $873 million in 2011

Max Fisher — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:11 GMT

A year of stunning revelations has made many Americans aware that Chinese hackers, some of them believed to be associated with the country's military, have infiltrated just about every powerful institution in the District, from federal agencies to think tanks to, yes, media organizations. But less well-known are the freelance and industrial hackers operating within China, where they're estimated to have caused $873 million in damage to Chinese economy in 2011 alone.

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British ‘opt-out’ from EU could complicate law enforcement in Irish ‘bandit country’

Jamie Smyth | Financial Times — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

COUNTY LOUTH, Ireland — The narrow, winding road along the border between counties Armagh and Louth looks like any other in rural Ireland. But there are video cameras on the trees leading to the farm of Thomas “Slab” Murphy, raided by hundreds of police in helicopters two months ago during a crackdown on suspected cross-border fuel laundering.

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Could Rafsanjani be disqualified from Iran's presidential race for his age?

Max Fisher — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:58:00 GMT

Iran has a presidential election coming up, and, earlier this month, former two-term president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani submitted his bid for candidacy. Rafsanjani, a powerful figure who is considered more moderate than other candidates, could shake up the race -- but only if the country's Guardian Council approves his candidacy.

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Hezbollah members killed in Syria fighting

Loveday Morris — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:55:00 GMT

AARSAL, Lebanon — Portraits of Hezbollah fighters slain in the weekend battle for the Syrian city of Qusair dotted the roads of villages in northern Lebanon on Monday, evidence of the militant group’s increasing entanglement in the Syrian civil war.

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Anti-Taliban official killed in Afghan bombing

Sayed Salahuddin — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:50:48 GMT

KABUL — A local Afghan leader who had been involved in efforts to defeat the Taliban was killed Monday in a suicide bombing that left 13 others dead, including the bomber, officials said.

Mohammad Rasoul Mohseni was the head of the provincial council in Baghlan province in northeastern Afghanistan, a picturesque farming area that has been relatively peaceful and secure in the past.

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North Koreans holding Chinese boat for ransom

William Wan — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:09:00 GMT

BEIJING — Armed North Koreans are holding a Chinese fishing boat and its crew for ransom despite the protests of Chinese officials, the boat’s owner said Monday.

The boat’s seizure — which occurred early this month but was revealed by Chinese officials only Sunday night — is the latest dust-up between North Korea and China, which Pyongyang has long relied on to prop up its economy and defend it from international censure efforts by the United States and others.

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Autobahn speed limit proposal revs up debate in Germany

Michael Birnbaum — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:57:11 GMT

For many in this car-crazy nation, the freedom to hurtle down the famed autobahn at 120 mph or more is an inalienable right.

Germany, one of the world’s top car producers, is alone among industrial countries in allowing drivers to decide for themselves how fast to race along the highway. So a proposal this month to impose a speed limit of 75 mph has set off an election-year battle that has some people questioning a basic tenet of German identity.

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Activists bristle as India cracks down on foreign funding of NGOs

Rama Lakshmi — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:44:28 GMT

Amid an intensifying crackdown on nongovernmental groups that receive foreign funding, Indian activists are accusing the government of stifling their right to dissent in the world’s largest democracy.

India has tightened the rules on nongovernmental organizations over the past two years, following protests that delayed several important industrial projects. About a dozen NGOs that the government said engaged in activities that harm the public interest have seen their permission to receive foreign donations revoked, as have nearly 4,000 small NGOs for what officials said was inadequate compliance with reporting requirements.

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Without U.S. helicopters, Afghans struggle to save wounded

Kevin Sieff — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:49:24 GMT

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — As soon as the Taliban bullet struck 24-year-old Afghan Sgt. Nazir Moradi’s leg, the men in his unit began brainstorming a way to get him off the battlefield.

The roads were too dangerous for an army ambulance. The Afghan soldiers, in several calls to their commanders, repeated one plea: They needed a helicopter.

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Syrian army, fighting alongside Hezbollah guerrillas, launch assault on rebel stronghold

Caroline Anning — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:04:02 GMT

Syrian government forces, backed by militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah, are reported to have made significant advances into the rebel stronghold of Qusair near the Lebanese border.

The army launched a sustained assault on the small but strategic town Sunday morning, bombarding it with airstrikes and shelling. Syrian state television said 70 “terrorists” were killed, while activists said that at least 52 people, including three women, died. The Syrian government refers to rebel forces as “terrorists.”

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In Iran, opponents use age to attack Rafsanjani campaign

Jason Rezaian — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:11:00 GMT

TEHRAN — In a political order where elderly men have long been considered the most fit leaders, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s age — 78 — is the latest reason his detractors say he should not be allowed to run for president of Iran.

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Pakistan army chief meets incoming prime minister in ‘good omen’

Richard Leiby — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:59:00 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, who heads Pakistan’s powerful army and holds significant sway over civilian affairs, visited the incoming prime minister Saturday in what the military described as a show of support for stronger democracy and greater stability as the nation struggles with an economic meltdown and continued insurgent attacks.

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In interview, Syria’s Assad says he will not step down, voices skepticism on peace talks

Caroline Anning — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:27:28 GMT

BEIRUT — In a rare interview published Saturday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad expressed doubt about the likely success of planned peace talks between his government and opposition forces and said he has no intention of stepping down.

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In South Korea, high-profile defector is accused of spying for the North — by his sister

Chico Harlan — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:32:00 GMT

SEOUL — Earlier this year, one of the most prominent North Korean defectors, Yoo Woo-sung, walked out of his apartment building here and found four South Korean government vehicles waiting for him.

Authorities hauled Yoo away and arrested him on charges of espionage. They had learned of his alleged crime, court documents show, thanks to testimony from his sister, who said Yoo had been sent on a mission by North Korea’s secret police to infiltrate the defector community and pass back information about the people he met.

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Japanese leader revives dark memories of imperial-era biological experiments in China

Max Fisher — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:34:19 GMT

For several years during World War II, a branch of the Japanese Imperial Army known as Unit 731 operated a vast biological and chemical research program in the Chinese province of Manchuria. The Japanese researchers conducted blood-curdling experiments on Chinese prisoners, many of them civilians, injecting them with chemicals, mutilating them, removing organs and committing other unspeakable acts that ultimately killed 3,000 and sickened 300,000 more. The unit number, 731, has since become synonymous with some of Japan's cruelest wartime abuses in Asia.

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Photos of Ai Weiwei's latest work, a response to China's baby milk scandal

Max Fisher — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:43:26 GMT

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has unveiled his newest piece in Hong Kong a work composed of 1,800 large tins of milk powder, arranged into a map of China. Each province is marked off by a different brand of milk.

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In France, some suffer malaise as universities offer English-language courses

Edward Cody — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:28:26 GMT

PARIS — There was a time, not so long ago, when anyone with a proper education spoke French. Diplomacy and business were conducted in French. Knowledge was spread in French. Travelers made their way in French, and, of course, lovers traded sweet nothings in French.

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N. Korea fires 3 short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters, South reports

Chico Harlan — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:15:00 GMT

TOKYO — North Korea on Saturday launched three short-range guided missiles off its eastern coast, South Korea’s National Defense Ministry said, a test of the tentative calm that has emerged on the peninsula after a period of heightened tensions last month.

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World Digest: May 17, 2013

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:32:54 GMT

Two bombs hidden in a motorcycle and a car exploded Friday evening inside an elite gated community linked to the family of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 70 near the southern city of Kandahar, an official said.

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