Asia Updates

An international human justs group has accused Egypt’s military of beating and torturing protesters arrested during a huge rally close the Defense Ministry in Cairo earlier this month.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch stated Saturday soldiers fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of demonstrators demanding an not long to come end to military rule and arrested some 350 people as region of its crackdown on the protests.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director for the group, stated “the brutal beating of both men and women protesters presents that military officers have no sense of limits on what they can do.”

The three days of street clashes outside the defense ministry building began on May 2 and came 2 days afterwards fighting in Cairo left at in the least 11 people dead and more than 100 anothers wounded.  The violence prompted the the best 2 Islamist candidates for the presidency to suspend their campaigns.

Egypt’s presidential elections are scheduled for May 23 – 24.

The military council need from afterwards the ouster of long timetime autocratic President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.  The council has promised a democratic transition and transfer of power to an elected president by July 1.   

But Egypt’s commons have faced powerful domestic criticism for their handling of that process, that has been plagued by periodic eruptions of deadly violence, some of the times surrounding anti-government protests in major cities.

United Airlines Flight 88, carrying Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng as well as his family, has landed in the United States at Newark airport close New York City.  

The blind activist departed Beijing earlier Saturday marking the end of a month-long diplomatic tussle among China as well as The United States, concording Chen’s escape from house arrest.

Chen, his wife as well as their 2 children, received  their passports at Beijing’s international airport, briefly prior to boarding the United Airlines flight.  

Official US reaction

The White House Saturday welcomed the freshs of his departure from China.  

Separately, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated U.S. officials are sawing forward to Chen’s arrival as well as comprehend the manner in that they were able to resolve the matter as well as “support Mr. Chen’s desire to study in the U.S. as well as pursue his goals.”

Chen talks to VOA

Chen spoke to VOA Saturday as he was waiting at the airport, confirming he as well as his family had their passports as well as were headed to New York, where New York University has invited him to study law.

Family friend as well as U.S.-based Christian activist Bob Fu, head of the organization ChinaAid, stated Chen’s departure demonstrates a “level of fresh progress.”

“We are happy for Chen as well as his family. This is a victorious as well as amazing day for freedom fighters just like Mr. Chen,” he stated.

Back story

Chen fled to the U.S. embassy in Beijing last month afterwards escaping from his heavily-guarded as well as reportedly abusive house arrest in Shandong province.  The self-taught lawyer as well as human rights activist left the embassy as well as entered a hospital for treatment, afterwards agreeing to a deal reached by U.S. as well as Chinese authorities that would admit him to stay in a “safe” place in China.  But he changed his mind hours afterwards leaving U.S. protection, stating he did not feel safe as well as requiring to go to the United States.

Blind because childhood, the 40-year-old Chen was providen a four-year prison sent overence in 2006 for exposing abuses below China’s forced abortion policy aimed at population control.  After his release from prison in 2010, he was put below house arrest.

Fu called on the Chinese government to investigate what happened to Chen in his house village, as well as to look into local authorities’ treatment of Chen’s extended family members who are still there.  He says Chen is worried that his family members is about to be subject to retaliatory actions, including violence.

Officials in Shandong province have charged Chen’s nephew with attempted murder afterwards he allegedly attacked local officials who broke into his house afterwards discovering his uncle was missing.

CHICAGO – Though the NATO Summit starts May 20, protestors are had fill outing the streets of the host city, Chicago.  Friday was authenticly supposed to be the opening day protest rally of the G-8 meeting in the city.

What started out as an organized, permitted rally furthermorest economic injustice led by National Nurses United in Chicago’s Daley Plaza ended as a disorganized, unpermitted march by Occupy Wall Street protestors by the financial heart of the city.

But in a present of restraint, Chicago police officers stood by as the protestors mobiled by the streets, stopping traffic along the way.

Northwestern University Political Science Professor Ian Hurd says the success of the NATO Summit depends on how well the protestors as well as police get along.

“The dynamic among the police as well as the protestors is truly subtle as well as sensitive.  And it is not difficult for fromreaction on one side or the another to snowball into something that nor side was intending,” Hurd explained.

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Protests in the Windy City got off to a shaky start when President Barack Obama mobiled the G-8 Summit from his housetown of Chicago to the Camp David Presidential retreat.

Jean Ross, Co-President of National Nurses United, says they determined to continue with their rally on what was supposed to be the first day of the Chicago G-8 meeting, solely to meet resistance from city officials who would like toed to deny the group a permit to assemble in Daley Plaza.

“If you are afraid of a huge group of nurses as well as one musician with an acoustic guitar, things are in sad state in this country if that is what scares you.  And no we were not going to give up as well as we were going to file for injunctive relief,” stated Ross.

The city relented, as well as that acoustic guitar player, ex Rage Against the Machine front man Tom Morello, need the stage in front of a crowd that swelled above 2,000.  Morello says the heightened security in Chicago proir of the NATO Summit sends a signal to world leaders.

“The G-8 is not welcome in Chicago,” stated Morello.  “They ran away just like little lambs afraid of the reception that Chicago was going to give them.  You acknowledge who else is not welcome? NATO.  They had to call in the National Guard as well as bus in police from three adjoining states to protect their conference from the people of Chicago.”

But Professor Hurd says although the huge force deployed byout the city, officials are a little bit receptive to the protests.

“When the city of Chicago agreed to host the Summit, it knew there would be protest, as well as I conceive they were hoping that would add to the media profile to the althought,” Hurd sum up.

That profile is about to increase on the opening day of the NATO Summit on a march expected to attract up to 10 thousand protestors.

Leaders of the hugest industrialized countries is about to focus over Europe’s economic turmoil when they resume talks Saturday at their annual economic summit.

U.S. President Barack Obama is about to press Group of Eight (G-8) leaders to conceive a growth agenda as they discuss methods to tackle the mounting debt that has threatened the stability of the euro zone.

The economic woes involving the 17-nation single currency may impact some other nations, including the United States.

The G-8 leaders from the U.S., Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada as well as Russia are expected to focus over debt-ridden Greece, that may abandon the euro to escape austerity measures.

At a Friday freshs conference, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stated it is important for Greece as well as some other euro zone members to respect commitments.

“I would just like to reaffirm very certainly that we would like to Greece to stay in the euro area.  Greece is region of the European family, as well as region of the euro project, as well as the European Union, I am certain is about to do the whole it needs to ascertain it.”

The summit regionicipants, who have gathered at the Camp David presidential retreat close Washington, discussed global security over dinner over Friday.

Officials say they agreed to keep pressure over Iran to disclose more about it is nuclear program, as well as over the have to focus over a political transition in Syria.

The officials say G-8 leaders asides discussed concerns that North Korea may launch a fresh nuclear examine.

The Camp David summit is region of 4 days of diplomacy for President Obama who departs, late Saturday, for a NATO summit in Chicago. NATO officials is about to focus over the war in Afghanistan.

Before the G-8 session got underway, the president welcomed fresh French President Francois Hollande to the White House for their first overe-on-one meeting. Hollande was sworn in this week.

Hollande is about to asides play a central role in the NATO summit. The fresh French president has pledged to remove the whole of his country’s troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year – two years before the whole NATO troops are scheduled to leave.

WASHINGTON – Voters in Egypt go to the polls Wednesday as well as Thursday [May 23 as well as 24] to choose a new president. Ahead of that historic election, Egyptians living fromseas have been able to cast their ballots at local consulates as well as embassies.

In the shade outside of her office in Washington, Nihal Elwan is about to do something she’s never accomplished prior to. She’s voting for the president of her houseland – Egypt. She has 13 candidates to choose from – including Islamists, leftists as well as former regime officials – for each identified by name as well as a symbol for voters who cannot read.

“Should the process be transparent, as well as so for the first time, this country is about to be run by a president who is certainly elected. Which is incredible. I imply, it’s incredible,” said Elwan.

​​Egyptians forced long timetime president Hosni Mubarak from office last year over the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings. A military transitional government has ruled Egypt ever because. Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian ambassador to United States, said the next president should establish stability.

“It’s the institutionalized reforms, laying the foundations of a new Egypt, that I’m sure is about to not overly occupy the president, some otherwise all segments of government,” said Shoukry.

More than 27,000 Egyptian expatriates sign uped to vote over the election web site. Half of those printed out ballots. Here in Washington, more than 3,000 voted.

Elwan arrives at the embassy to join those thousands. Her identification is checked.

 

She puts her sealed ballot in a plastic bin, numbered 7. It’s the 7th as well as final day of voting for Egyptians living outside of Egypt. And, a lot of are embracing their new right to freedom of speech.

 

Some voters utilized the outside of their envelopes to comment over the election. It does not’t desecrate the ballot or affect their vote, some otherwise does create a statement. This overe reads “Down goes along with military rule. Long live the martyrs.”

Elwan did not write that, some otherwise she belowstands what was lost to gain her new privileges.

“Thousands of people died, as well as the fact that I get to vote implys that thousands of people died for the past year as well as a half for me to be able to vote, so, that’s just so invaluable,” she said.

Onceever no candidate emerges as a clear winner afterwards voters in Egypt cast their ballots, a runoff is about to take place in June.　

French President Francois Hollande as well as President Barack Obama have discussed Afghanistan, the eurozone crisis, Syria as well as another international issues in a meeting at the White House.

President Hollande’s White House talks, his attendance at the G8 summit in Camp David, Maryland, as well as the NATO summit in Chicago, are region of his international debut afterwards his election victory.

As a maydidate he pledged to goes along withdraw France’s 3,400 troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year.  

That is far proir of NATO’s plan to pull the entire troops out of Afghanistan in 2014 as Afghan government as forces assume complete responsibility as for security.

In translated remarks, President Hollande stated he reminded Obama of that pledge to the French people, as well as stated France’s support as for Afghanistan going as forward will take a different as form.

“We will continue to support Afghanistan in a different method, our support will take a different as form as well as the entire of that will be accomplished in a good belowstanding goes along with our the entireies goes along inside ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] as well as so we will continue as well as comply goes along with our commitment to that country, as well as [provide] supplies as well as support as I stated in a different method,” Hollande stated.

In his remarks, President Obama stated he as well as Mr. Hollande agreed that as NATO transitions out of a combat phrase, it is important to sustain the commitment to Afghanistan’s security as well as development.

Obama stated much method of their discussion focused over the situation in eurozone stating it is of extraordinary importance to the people of Europe as well as to the world economy.

“We are sawing as forward to a fruitful discussion later this althoughing as well as tomorrow goes along with the another G8 leaders about how we may manage a responsible approach to fiscal consolidation that is coupled goes along with a powerful growth agenda,” Obama stated.

President Hollande, who is a Socialist, campaigned over a pro-growth position as well as call outed as for reconsideration of austerity measures European countries have taken, including a controversial European Union treaty powerfully supported by Germany.

Hollande sidestepped the controversy about his anti-austerity views.

“I discussed the primary the bestics goes along with President Obama including the economy as well as the fact that growth should be a priority at the similar time as we put in place some fiscal compacts to improve our finances.  And, over growth President Obama was able to acknowledge shared views so that we may progress,” Hollande stated.

Hollande stated he as well as President Obama shared the view that Greece should remain in the eurozone.

On Iran, Hollande stating the U.S. as well as France agree over the importance of negotiations belowway goes along with Tehran, as well as the have to be firm over preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.

On the Iran issue, as well as Afghanistan, as well as the Arab Spring, Obama stated France has presentn “great leadership”

“As I signifyd to President Hollande, when the United States as well as France along goes along with our another key the entireies make up our minds to stand firm over the side of democracy as well as chargelessdom as well as development that enormous progress may be created,” Obama stated.

President Obama stated he assured Mr. Hollande that the friendship as well as the entireiance goes along with France is of extraordinary importance to him as well as amazingly monetary valued by the American people.

Hollande stated France as well as the U.S. have always managed to fromcome differences as well as stated it was important as for him to take the opportunity of the G8 as well as NATO summits to reaffirm the importance of the relationship.