◆ Obama's Arrival in Japan Delayed by One Day
The United States has asked that President Barack Obama’s visit to Japan be pushed back from next Thursday to Friday, a source close to Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday. Obama, who originally planned to visit Nov 12 and 13, asked for the schedule change to attend a ceremony for the victims of a recent shooting rampage at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, according to the source.
A meeting on Friday between Obama and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will not change, the source said. Hatoyama told reporters later in the day that the schedule change was probably inevitable under the circumstances. ‘‘I will make the utmost efforts’’ to avoid possible negative effects on the bilateral meeting from the schedule change, he said, adding that he understands that Obama means to as well.
Under the original plan, Obama was to arrive in Japan and attend a dinner on Thursday and hold the meeting with Hatoyama on Friday before leaving for Singapore to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
◆ US House Seeks Freedom for Chinese Rights Workers
The U.S. House of Representatives has asked China to free two rights activists jailed for investigating why thousands of children died in collapsing school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake last year.
The men were detained after they began working to assist the parents of thousands of children killed in school building collapses during the May 12, 2008, earthquake in Sichuan province.
The activists separately investigated allegations that schools collapsed because corrupt officials colluded to build schools cheaply and ignore required maintenance.
The resolution urged Beijing to restore "the rights that all Chinese citizens have" under the constitution and free the activists.
The resolution also asks President Barack Obama to bring up the cases in Beijing during a Nov. 15 visit.
◆ 12 Killed in Nepal Bus Accident
At least 12 people were killed when the bus they were traveling on fell off the road at Lambhir of Hansapur in Arghakhanchi district in western Nepal Sunday morning, Nepal TV reported.
The state-owned TV said that 20 passengers were injured. Some other TV channels, quoting police, said the death toll could increase.
However, chief district officer Balbhadra Giri told myrepublica.com over phone that according to "unconfirmed report 10 people were killed in the accident.
He said the accident occurred at 7 a.m. Sunday when the bus hurtled some 200 meters off the road, some 215 km west of Kathmandu. Giri added that police have already been sent to the accident spot. The number of passengers traveling on the bus is still not known.
◆ 4 Suspected Militants Killed in Southern Russia
Security forces on Saturday killed four suspected militants during security sweeps in Chechnya and a neighboring province in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, officials said.
Police acting on a tip tracked the two suspects down in the eastern village of Belgatoi, regional Interior Ministry spokesman Magomed Deniyev said. They refused to surrender and were killed in fighting, he said.
Deniyev said that Chechnya's regional President Ramzan Kadyrov personally led the operation. Another two suspected militants were killed Saturday in the province of Dagestan east of Chechnya, said Mark Tolchinsky of the Interior Ministry's branch in Dagestan.
Chechnya and other provinces in southern Russia have remained mired in violence stemming from wars between separatist Chechen rebels and the Russian government. There has been an upsurge of bombings and other recent attacks on police and other authorities in the region.
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