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Bosnia war victims say they have submitted evidence to the prosecutor's office accusing former Serb leaders of committing war crimes during the 1992-95 conflict.
Murat Tahirovic, the head of an association of Bosnian wartime camp inmates, told the Associated Press Thursday his organization had submitted evidence against two former Yugoslav Presidents, Zoran Lilic and Dobrica Cosic, as well as the former president of Montenegro, Momir Bulatovic.
The three were members of the Serbian Supreme Council when it ordered the Serb arms industry to increase production to support Bosnian Serb forces, and when it mobilized troops and sent them to the Bosnian fronts.
During the war Serbia supported the Bosnian Serbs in their efforts to annex as much of Bosnia's territory as possible.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
President Barack Obama is calling House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid back to the White House on Thursday for more budget negotiations aimed at heading off a government shutdown.
The White House says Vice President Joe Biden will also attend the 1p.m. EDT meeting aimed at reaching a deal to fund the government before a deadline of midnight Friday.
Obama met with Boehner and Reid at the White House late Wednesday night for more than an hour. All parties said the meeting was productive but no deal was reached. Obama says the parties must move with urgency.
Thursday's meeting comes after Reid said on Capitol Hill that he was growing less optimistic about the prospect of reaching an agreement.
The White House says Vice President Joe Biden will also attend the 1p.m. EDT meeting aimed at reaching a deal to fund the government before a deadline of midnight Friday.
Obama met with Boehner and Reid at the White House late Wednesday night for more than an hour. All parties said the meeting was productive but no deal was reached. Obama says the parties must move with urgency.
Thursday's meeting comes after Reid said on Capitol Hill that he was growing less optimistic about the prospect of reaching an agreement.
Royal officials released an estimated schedule Thursday for the April 29 royal wedding of Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton at London's Westminster Abbey.
0830 BST (0730 GMT; 3:30 a.m. EDT): Guests begin arriving at Westminster Abbey.
After 10 a.m. BST (1030 GMT; 530 a.m. EDT): The royal family begin to take their places at the Abbey, with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the last to arrive. Prince William heads to the Abbey joined by his best man, Prince Harry.
1100 BST (1000 GMT; 6:00 a.m. EDT): The bride arrives at the Abbey; the ceremony begins.
1215 BST (1115 GMT; 7:15 a.m. EDT): William and his new wife emerge from the Abbey and depart in the 1902 State Landau, a carriage, and travel to Buckingham Palace.
1325 BST (1225 GMT; 8:25 a.m. EDT): The newlyweds and their families make their appearance on the palace balcony.
1330 BST (1230 GMT; 8:30 a.m. EDT): The royals watch a flypast before returning inside for the queen's reception.
The U.S. government's new system to replace the five color-coded terror alerts will have two levels of warnings - elevated and imminent - that will be relayed to the public only under certain circumstances for limited periods of time, sometimes using Facebook and Twitter, according to a draft Homeland Security Department plan obtained by The Associated Press.
Some terror warnings could be withheld from the public entirely if announcing a threat would risk exposing an intelligence operation or an ongoing investigation, according to the government's confidential plan.
Like a gallon of milk, the new terror warnings will each come with a stamped expiration date.
The 19-page document, marked "for official use only" and dated April 1, describes the step-by-step process that would occur behind the scenes when the government believes terrorists might be threatening Americans. It describes the sequence of notifying members of Congress, then counterterrorism officials in states and cities and then governors and mayors and, ultimately, the public. It specifies even details about how many minutes U.S. officials can wait before organizing urgent conference calls among themselves to discuss pending threats. It places the Homeland Security secretary, currently Janet Napolitano, in charge of the so-called National Terrorism Advisory System.
An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel Thursday, wounding two people, including one child critically, Israeli officials said.
Israeli tanks quickly retaliated by opening fire across the border, killing a 50-year-old man and wounding seven other people, Palestinian medics said.
The sudden outbreak of violence illustrated the fragile situation along the Israel-Gaza border, where small bouts of violence can quickly escalate into heavy-scale warfare.
After a two-year lull, tensions have been rising between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza over the past few weeks. From Israel's perspective, Thursday's attack was the most serious of this period.
Turkey's government sparred with the military on Thursday amid tension over the trials of retired and active military officers and other alleged coup plotters, some of whom have been in jail for years.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
Turkey's government sparred with the military on Thursday amid tension over the trials of retired and active military officers and other alleged coup plotters, some of whom have been in jail for years.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee says the U.S. should withhold money from the United Nations to force changes at the world body.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn) of Florida described her plan at the start of a hearing with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice.
Ros-Lehtinen plans to introduce a bill next week to make U.S. payments to the U.N. voluntary.
The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman of California, says withholding U.S. dues doesn't work and he says it would weaken the U.S. diplomatically.
The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 27 percent of the money for peacekeeping operations.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn) of Florida described her plan at the start of a hearing with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice.
Ros-Lehtinen plans to introduce a bill next week to make U.S. payments to the U.N. voluntary.
The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman of California, says withholding U.S. dues doesn't work and he says it would weaken the U.S. diplomatically.
The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 27 percent of the money for peacekeeping operations.
The United States on Thursday expelled the Ecuadorian ambassador in retaliation for the expulsion of the U.S. envoy to Ecuador, who was kicked out after her confidential allegations of official corruption were exposed by the website Wikileaks.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Ecuadorian ambassador Luis Gallegos was summoned to the State Department and informed of the decision. The official said Gallegos was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country as soon as possible. The official also said that high-level U.S.-Ecuador talks set for June had been suspended.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement of the unusually severe U.S. diplomatic action.
The move follows Ecuador's expulsion this week of Heather Hodges, the U.S. ambassador in Quito, over corruption allegations she made about senior Ecuadorian authorities in documents released by WikiLeaks.
The State Department has said Hodges' expulsion was unjustified and unwarranted.
The official said the Obama administration wants a positive relationship with Ecuador but that the decision to expel Hodges had damaged ties and would be taken into account going forward.
U.S. expulsion of foreign diplomats is a harsh step generally only taken in retaliation for action against U.S. diplomats, or when a foreign diplomat is accused of abusing his or her diplomatic status in the United States.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Ecuadorian ambassador Luis Gallegos was summoned to the State Department and informed of the decision. The official said Gallegos was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country as soon as possible. The official also said that high-level U.S.-Ecuador talks set for June had been suspended.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement of the unusually severe U.S. diplomatic action.
The move follows Ecuador's expulsion this week of Heather Hodges, the U.S. ambassador in Quito, over corruption allegations she made about senior Ecuadorian authorities in documents released by WikiLeaks.
The State Department has said Hodges' expulsion was unjustified and unwarranted.
The official said the Obama administration wants a positive relationship with Ecuador but that the decision to expel Hodges had damaged ties and would be taken into account going forward.
U.S. expulsion of foreign diplomats is a harsh step generally only taken in retaliation for action against U.S. diplomats, or when a foreign diplomat is accused of abusing his or her diplomatic status in the United States.
A former U.S. congressman says he told a senior Libyan official that it was time for Moammar Gadhafi to step down and hand power to an interim government.
Thursday's meeting between Curt Weldon and Libya's prime minister is part of a private mission by the former Pennsylvania lawmaker, who has visited Libya several times including as part of a 2004 U.S. government delegation to rebuild ties with Gadhafi.
Weldon told reporters that he urged the prime minister, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, that Gadhafi should step down to avoid dragging the country deeper into crisis.
Weldon says he came to Libya on the invitation of Gadhafi, but the trip has no ties with the U.S. government.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Stocks fell Thursday after another big earthquake hit northern Japan. The 7.4-magnitude earthqauke triggered tsunami warnings along Japan's devastated northern coast.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell as many as 96 points in morning trading before recovering some of those losses. Japan's stock market had already closed by the time the earthquake struck.
The Dow was down 60 points, or 0.5 percent, at 12,367 in late morning trading. The broader S&P 500 fell 4, or 0.3 percent, to 1,331. The Nasdaq composite index fell 5, or 0.2 percent, to 2,794. All three indexes had been higher in earlier trading.
The earthquake "means perhaps further economic decline in Japan," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at New York-based brokerage house Avalon Partners Inc.
U.S. officials say a 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan is not expected to create a tsunami threat in Hawaii or the West Coast.
Federal agencies say that area includes Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.
No tsunami warning, watch or advisory is in effect for these areas.
The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to about 3 feet. The warning was issued for a coastal area of Japan already torn apart by last month's tsunami.
Buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.
Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the northeast region devastated by the March 11 earthquake, but few have been stronger than 7.0.
Federal agencies say that area includes Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.
No tsunami warning, watch or advisory is in effect for these areas.
The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to about 3 feet. The warning was issued for a coastal area of Japan already torn apart by last month's tsunami.
Buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.
Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the northeast region devastated by the March 11 earthquake, but few have been stronger than 7.0.
Officials at Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant say there's no immediate sign of new problems after a magnitude-7.4 aftershock rattled the nation's eastern coast.
A nuclear safety official says the workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are safe but does not know if they have been evacuated.
The metereorological agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for a stretch of more than 300 miles of the northeastern coast from Aomori prefecture in the north to Ibaraki prefecture in central Japan, just north of Tokyo.
Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to run to higher ground and away from the shore.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A nuclear safety official says the workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are safe but does not know if they have been evacuated.
The metereorological agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for a stretch of more than 300 miles of the northeastern coast from Aomori prefecture in the north to Ibaraki prefecture in central Japan, just north of Tokyo.
Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to run to higher ground and away from the shore.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Officials at Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant say there's no immediate sign of new problems after a magnitude-7.4 aftershock rattled the nation's eastern coast.
A nuclear safety official says the workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are safe but does not know if they have been evacuated.
The metereorological agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for a stretch of more than 300 miles of the northeastern coast from Aomori prefecture in the north to Ibaraki prefecture in central Japan, just north of Tokyo.
Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to run to higher ground and away from the shore.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A nuclear safety official says the workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are safe but does not know if they have been evacuated.
The metereorological agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for a stretch of more than 300 miles of the northeastern coast from Aomori prefecture in the north to Ibaraki prefecture in central Japan, just north of Tokyo.
Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to run to higher ground and away from the shore.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Pakistan is rejecting a White House report that criticizes its efforts to stop militants along the Afghan border.
The report released this week says Pakistan has made little progress in battling Islamist extremists and that there is "no clear path toward defeating the insurgency" in the country.
The U.S. considers Pakistan key to its efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and defeat al-Qaida. It has given Pakistan billions in military and other aid over the past decade to stop its soil from being used as a safe haven for militants from Afghanistan.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua on Thursday called the report's references to Pakistan "unwarranted."
She also says Pakistan should not be blamed for Western failings in Afghanistan.
The report released this week says Pakistan has made little progress in battling Islamist extremists and that there is "no clear path toward defeating the insurgency" in the country.
The U.S. considers Pakistan key to its efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and defeat al-Qaida. It has given Pakistan billions in military and other aid over the past decade to stop its soil from being used as a safe haven for militants from Afghanistan.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua on Thursday called the report's references to Pakistan "unwarranted."
She also says Pakistan should not be blamed for Western failings in Afghanistan.
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