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

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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

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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

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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