EU offers to take over Gaza border posts
BRUSSELS -- The European Union offered Friday to take charge of Gaza's border crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows, insisting on a durable truce and saying a return to the status quo before the latest war "is not an option."
As EU foreign ministers held an urgent meeting in Brussels about global conflicts, Hamas negotiators met with the Islamic militant group's leadership in Qatar to discuss a proposal for a long-term truce with Israel. An official said the group was inclined to accept the Egyptian-mediated offer.
The Gaza blockade remains the main stumbling block. It has greatly limited the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory of 1.8 million people, restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked virtually all exports.
The EU said Israel must lift its blockade to allow "a fundamental improvement in the living conditions for the Palestinian people in Gaza." If that happens, the EU is prepared "to play a strong role" in managing the crossings while assuring that Israel's security is guaranteed, said the 28-nation bloc's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton.
The EU offered to reactivate and extend its monitoring of the Rafah crossing with Egypt and other border posts, provided there will be a United Nations Security Council mandate for the mission and a sustainable cease-fire in place.
Iranian: Nuclear deal unlikely by deadline
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's foreign minister said Friday that Tehran is unlikely to reach a final nuclear accord with six world powers by a November deadline.
Parliament's news website quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying that even if a general agreement is reached before the deadline, the two sides will require more time to discuss details. "Hence, it is unlikely to reach a final conclusion before a four-month span," he said.
Zarif said the talks could "quickly" reach a conclusion if world powers show "strong will." He said the other side has moved cautiously over the past few months but that the negotiations are making progress.
Iran and the six countries -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany -- in July extended their nuclear talks to November.
Western powers have long suspected Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran has said its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes like power generation and the manufacture of medical isotopes.
China, S. Korea pan Japan memorial trips
TOKYO -- China and South Korea reacted Friday to visits by two Japanese Cabinet ministers to a Tokyo shrine that honors those killed in war, including convicted war criminals.
Keiji Furuya, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and one of the two ministers who visited Yasukuni Shrine, said it was "only natural as a Japanese" to honor those who had given up their lives for their country.
Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo said his visit was a vow to never wage war again.
China lambasted the visits as proof of Tokyo's incorrect understanding of history, calling Yasukuni "a spiritual tool and symbol for the Japanese militarists."
"Sino-Japanese relations can develop in a healthy and stable way only if Japan can face up to and reflect on the history of invasion and make a clear break with militarism," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said in a statement.
In Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said some Japanese politicians were acting in a way that hurts both South Koreans and Japanese and further pushes the countries' people apart.
Leader: India shamed by rapes, attacks
NEW DELHI -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that India had been shamed by rapes and attacks against women and called on parents in the country to treat their sons and daughters equally in his first speech marking the country's independence from colonial rule.
"The law will do its job and do it strictly, but as a society every parent also has a responsibility to teach their sons the difference between right and wrong," Modi said as he addressed the nation from the Red Fort, the sprawling 17th century fortress that was once home to India's medieval Mughal rulers.
"Today when we hear news reports of rapes, our heads hang in shame," Modi said, addressing a growing anger against persistent violence against women.
Modi called on lawmakers to ensure that separate toilets were built for girls and women. Women in rural India often must use faraway fields as toilets where they are often harassed and sometimes face sexual violence. A lack of private toilets in schools has been cited as a reason for girls dropping out.
A Section on 08/16/2014