Polish gov't asks president to keep troops in Iraq for another yr: AP
December 27, 2005The Polish government has asked the president to keep Polish troops in Iraq for another year, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, quoting the premier. If President Lech Kaczynski agrees to Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz's request, it would reverse the decision by the last government to bring troops home within the next few weeks, the report said.
Soccer: Hiroshima sign Brazilian striker Ueslei
December 27, 2005Sanfreece Hiroshima have signed Brazilian striker Ueslei on a short-term deal, officials of the J-League first-division side said Tuesday. Ueslei was the leading scorer in the J-League last year with 22 goals for Nagoya Grampus Eight but the club suspended him in April for making critical comments about then manager Nelsinho and he returned to former Brazilian club Esporte Clube Bahia in May. The 33-year-old, who has 80 goals in 116 J-League appearances to his name, joins Hiroshima on a contract running from Feb. 1, 2006 through the end of July. ==Kyodo
Fifth body found in wreckage of derailed train in Yamagata
December 27, 2005Rescuers found part of a human body on Tuesday in the wreckage of a train that derailed Sunday in Yamagata Prefecture, bringing the death toll to five, police said. The police said the body appears to be that of a woman in her 20s. It was found a day after officials said there were no more people left in the derailed train in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture.
Gov't endorses basic plan to support crime victims
December 27, 2005The government endorsed at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday a 258-point basic plan to support crime victims with about 80 percent of the measures set to be immediately implemented and the remainder to be studied in the next few years, government officials said. The plan also includes a controversial passage stating that police should decide whether crime victims' names should be disclosed, despite protests from journalists who insist that full disclosure will guarantee appropriate and objective reporting.
Japan-N. Korea to meet as planned regardless of 6-nation talks
December 27, 2005Japan and North Korea plan to hold talks in January as agreed this weekend, regardless of whether or not the six-party negotiations on its nuclear programs resume in the near future, Japanese and North Korean diplomats said Tuesday. Song Il Ho, who headed the country's delegation to its weekend working-level talks with Japan, confirmed the plan in remarks to reporters at Beijing's international airport shortly before leaving for Pyongyang.
Philippine prosecutors file rape charges against 4 U.S. Marines
December 27, 2005Philippine prosecutors on Tuesday formally filed charges against four Okinawa-based U.S. Marines suspected of raping a 22-year-old woman in Olongapo City, northwest of Manila, last month. Prudencio Jalandoni, the city's chief prosecutor, filed the charges against Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, Staff Sgt. Chad Carpentier, Lance Cpl. Dominic Duplantis and Lance Cpl. Keith Silkwood.