The world in brief

Thursday, December 12, 2013

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I feel so exhausted right now thinking we are being set back by 100 years. … I think it’s pathetic and sad.”

Anjali Gopalan, the petitioner in a 2009 case in which an Indian law criminalizing homosexuality was ruled unconstitutional, after the ruling was overturned by the country’s Supreme Court on Wednesday Article, this page

Persian Gulf bloc OKs military command

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf neighbors wrapped up a meeting in Kuwait on Wednesday by agreeing to establish a joint military command, paving the way for tighter security coordination even as their regional rival, Iran, pursues outreach efforts in the wake of its interim nuclear deal.

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council also agreed to lay the foundations for a joint Persian Gulf police force and a strategic studies academy, according to a summary of the group’s closing statement carried by the official Kuwait News Agency.

Iran agreed last month to freeze parts of its nuclear program in exchange for some relief from Western economic sanctions, but many in the Persian Gulf remain wary of Tehran’s intentions.

Saudi Arabia in particular sees a stronger Iran as a threat to its influence, and it and other Persian Gulf states are major backers of the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose government is backed by Iran.

The Persian Gulf states have nonetheless voiced cautious support for the nuclear deal - a theme they reiterated as a bloc in Wednesday’s closing statement.

Russian calls nukes ‘a great equalizer’

MOSCOW - Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional strike and sees them as a “great equalizer” that reduces the likelihood of aggression, a senior Russian official said Wednesday.

While Russia amended its military doctrine years ago to allow for the possibility of using nuclear weapons first in retaliation to a non-nuclear attack, the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin reflected Moscow’s concern about prospective U.S. conventional weapons.

Weapons that have been developed in the United States under the “prompt global strike” program would be capable of striking targets anywhere in the world in as little as an hour with deadly precision.

Rogozin told lawmakers in comments carried by Russian news agencies said that those who “experiment with non-nuclear strategic weapons” should remember that “if we come under attack, we will undoubtedly use nuclear weapons in certain situations to defend our territory and state interests.”

He said that should discourage any potential aggressor.

“We have never underestimated the role of nuclear weapons … as a ‘great equalizer,’” Rogozin said.

Draft urges Japan to bolster defenses

TOKYO - Japan must strengthen its defense and seek a larger regional role as the balance of power shifts with the rise of China and decline of U.S. influence, according to a draft of a new national-security strategy released Wednesday.

The draft, written by a group of experts appointed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, called for building closer military ties with the United States, which has 50,000 military personnel based in Japan.

However, it also said Japan must “strengthen its own capabilities and expand its own roles” by such steps as bolstering anti-missile defenses and its ability to defend freedom of navigation in surrounding seas.

The draft cited China’s rapid military expansion as well as North Korea’s growing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities as major causes of the shifting balance.

Abe emphasized that Japan’s forces must remain purely defensive.

Bangladeshi party seeks to void execution

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Lawyers for a leader of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party sought Wednesday to have his death sentence thrown out after a late-night reprieve saved his life just hours before he was to be hanged.

Abdul Quader Mollah, convicted of war crimes during the nation’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971, was to be executed at a minute past midnight, but lawyers went to the home of Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain and secured a postponement.

The lawyers are trying to persuade the Supreme Court to throw out the sentence in a case that has raised fears of a new wave of political violence ahead of national elections next month.

After beginning to hear the case Wednesday, the Supreme Court adjourned until today.

Mollah’s party, Jamaat-e-Islami, an ally of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, enforced a nationwide general strike on Wednesday and issued a statement warning of “dire consequences” if he were executed.

Hundreds of pro-government activists, meanwhile, blocked traffic on a main road in Dhaka demanding Mollah’s immediate execution.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 12/12/2013