Howard to visit New York and RI

Howard to visit New York and RI

AUSTRALIA: Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday he will address the UN Security Council on East Timor and hold talks with Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri in the next month.

Howard said in a statement he will travel to New York from Jan. 28 to meet city mayor Michael Bloomberg and visit the World Trade Center site to pay tribute to those who "suffered so terribly during the events of September 11."

During his 10-day U.S. visit, Howard will also meet United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, address the UN Security Council on East Timor and the World Economic Forum.

Howard will meet Megawati and key cabinet ministers over two days from Feb. 6 as part of a second relationship building trip to Jakarta since Megawati was elected in July.

The two leaders will discuss stopping illegal Middle Eastern, Asian and Afghan migrants using the Indonesian archipelago as a stepping stone to Australia before co-hosting a regional forum on people smuggling in Bali, Indonesia in February. --Reuters

;AFP;KOD; ANPAi..r.. ATW-Japan-US-Bush US President Bush expected to visit Japan in February JP/10/ATW

Bush expected to visit Japan in February

JAPAN: U.S. President George W. Bush may visit Japan in late February for the first time since he took office a year ago, a Japanese government spokesman said on Friday.

Bush is to visit Japan, South Korea and China, possibly in the second half of February, the news agency Jiji Press reported, quoting foreign ministry sources.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said a formal announcement on Bush's possible visit here would be made soon.

The U.S. president had originally planned to visit here in October but the trip was postponed indefinitely following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Japan's economic recovery, anti-terrorism measures and reconstruction of Afghanistan are likely to figure high on the agenda if the visit goes ahead. --AFP

;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. ATW-Taiwan-politics Taiwanese president laments opposition party's decision to ban JP/10/ATW

Chen laments opposition party's ban

TAIWAN: Largest opposition party is threatening to punish members who join the new Cabinet -- a move the president on Friday said would waste of the island's talent.

President Chen Shui-bian has pledged to forge a governing alliance to end political squabbling that has helped push Taiwan's economy into its first recession in decades.

But in recent weeks, Chen has had little apparent success in creating a coalition.

Chen was dealt a setback earlier this week when the opposition Nationalist Party announced that it was banning members from joining the new Cabinet, expected to be formed next month when the new legislature convenes.

The Nationalists have argued that their duty as an opposition party is to supervise the government. --AP

;DPA;KOD; ANPAu..r.. ATW-Nepal-Journalists Almost 3 dozen journalists in custody, claims journalist body JP/10/ATW

Three dozen journalists in custody

NEPAL: The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) claimed that the government security forces arrested almost three dozen journalists since the state of emergency was imposed in the country one-and-half months ago, a newspaper report said on Friday.

The English language daily Kathmandu Post said FNJ claimed that four journalists, including Om Sharma, were already in custody before the state of emergency was imposed.

Under the state of emergency, the government has imposed a series of curbs in civil liberties including press freedom.

The FNJ also flayed the government for "psychologically torturing" detained journalists. --DPA