Japan protests to Russians about death of fisherman
Tokyo – Japan launched a strong protest to Russia on Wednesday after a Russian patrol boat opened fire on a Japanese vessel, killing a fisherman in the latest flare-up of a territorial dispute between the neighboring nations.
The crab fisherman was shot and killed near Kaigara island, one of several islands off the northeast tip of Hokkaido that are administered by Russia and claimed by Japan.
Russian officials expressed “regret” over the death but defended the patrol boat’s actions, saying the Japanese ship had violated Russian waters and authorities acted within their powers.
Russia’s regional border patrol said the fisherman suffered a “fatal shot in the head.” Japan insisted the boat was in Japanese waters, called the act “unacceptable,” and demanded immediate compensation and release of the boat and surviving crew.
“There has been a loss of life, and the situation is grave. Japan demands an immediate apology,” Foreign Minister Taro Aso told reporters in Tokyo. “It’s unacceptable this took place within Japanese waters.”
JERUSALEM
Sharon improving after antibiotics
The hospital treating former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Wednesday that he was in stable condition two days after being put on antibiotics for double pneumonia.
Sharon, 78, has been in a coma since suffering a massive stroke Jan. 4. He has since undergone several extensive brain operations to stop cerebral hemorrhaging, in addition to other relatively minor procedures.
Tel Aviv’s Chaim Sheba Medical Center said Monday that new tests had revealed deterioration in Sharon’s brain function and infection in both lungs. His urine output had also decreased significantly, and doctors were treating him with broad-spectrum antibiotics and steroids, the hospital said at the time.
BEIJING
Ancient figurines linked to famed tomb
Archaeologists have unearthed two 2,500-year-old terra cotta figurines that are possible predecessors to the statues the army buried with China’s first emperor, state media reported.
The 4-inch-tall figurines were made by the nation of Qin before its ruler unified China in 221 B.C., the China Daily newspaper and the Xinhua News Agency said this week.
The Emperor Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb was surrounded by pits holding 8,000 life-size terra cotta soldiers to guard him in death.
The smaller figurines were found in the northwestern province of Shaanxi in the ruins of a workshop with more than 2,000 pieces of pottery dating back 2,500 years, the China Daily said.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
At least 626 killed in floods fueled by rain
Flooding from 11 days of heavy rain has killed at least 626 people across Ethiopia, and authorities Wednesday braced for a rising death toll as overwhelmed rescuers struggled to locate missing villagers.
Rivers in southern, northern and eastern Ethiopia burst their banks as forecasters predicted even more rain. The death toll in southern Ethiopia was at 364, and police there said it could reach 1,000, while another 256 were killed in the east and six in the north.
According to the United Nations, 300 people are still missing in the east and police said they are calling off the search for bodies in the region while continuing their search and rescue in the south.
“Things are getting out of control,” said Inspector Daniel Gezahenge, a spokesman for the southern regional police. “We need additional helicopters and boats for rescuing.”
BOGOTA, Colombia
Paramilitary leaders placed under arrest
Colombian police arrested the top leaders of a paramilitary group on Wednesday for violating the terms of a peace accord that has led to the demobilization of 30,000 right-wing fighters.
President Alvaro Uribe said he ordered the arrests of the leadership of the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, “so the peace process can go forward and gain credibility.”
The crackdown began early Wednesday with the arrest of the three militia leaders at the group’s headquarters in the western city of Medellin, Carlos Restrepo, an AUC spokesman, told The Associated Press.
Arrests of dozens more AUC leaders were taking place throughout the country.
WASHINGTON
FBI veteran picked to lead criminal division
James H. “Chip” Burrus, a 23-year FBI veteran, has been named assistant director in charge of the bureau’s criminal investigative division.
Burrus, who has been acting chief of the division since February, will supervise investigations of public corruption, civil rights violations, gangs, organized crime, financial crimes and violent crimes. He was appointed by FBI Director Robert Mueller, the bureau announced Wednesday.
Since joining the FBI in 1983, Burrus has served on the security detail for three attorneys general, won an FBI director’s award for work in Indian country as assistant chief of the Minneapolis office, assisted with the recovery of kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart as chief of the Salt Lake City office and spent a year and a half as deputy chief of the criminal investigative division.
A native of Sibley, N.C., he obtained undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest University.
