Wednesday, 20 April 2011 00:00Written by Spencer Iowa
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese consumers may have to help foot the reconstruction bill after last month's earthquake and tsunami caused $300 billion of damage, further burdening the hugely indebted economy, a newspaper said on Tuesday. It would be the first increase since 1997, though a sales tax hike had been the subject of fierce political debate before the earthquake struck as one way for Japan to dig itself out of its massive debt. The government is considering raising the tax by 3 percentage points to 8 percent when the new fiscal year starts next April, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. "It was clear even before this disaster and the need to secure funds for reconstruction that to ensure a sustainable fiscal situation, some sort of reform of spending and revenues was necessary," said Internal Affairs Minister Yoshiro Katayama.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 00:00Written by Spencer Iowa
KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Soldiers patrolled the streets in Nigeria's mostly Muslim north on Tuesday and aid workers began to assess the toll from deadly rioting against President Goodluck Jonathan's election victory. The Red Cross said many people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced in protests across northern Nigeria on Monday by supporters of Jonathan's northern rival, former army ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who say the election result was rigged. Churches, homes and shops were razed. Rescue workers said they had been unable to reach the worst-affected neighborhoods and could not yet give a death toll, although a curfew imposed across at least five states appeared to have been relaxed to allow some movement.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 00:00Written by Spencer Iowa
ROME (Reuters) - For a politician on trial over charges ranging from tax fraud to paying for sex with a minor, Silvio Berlusconi is notably free of self doubt. "I think it's positive that I'm here to represent Italy and lead the center-right," the Italian prime minister said last week in comments at an off-the-record dinner with foreign press that were leaked to Italian newspapers. "As long as there's no one to replace me, I'll stay for some time longer." That confidence has been a vital asset in Berlusconi's career, from his early days as a cruise ship entertainer to his success as the head of a vast property and media empire, and his 17-year spell at the top of Italian politics.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 00:00Written by Spencer Iowa
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza (Reuters) - Five thousand years of fascinating history lie beneath the sands of the Gaza Strip, from blinded biblical hero Samson to British general Allenby. The flat, sandy lands on the Mediterranean's southeastern shore have been ruled by Ancient Egyptians, Philistines, Romans, Byzantines and Crusaders. Alexander the Great besieged the city. Emperor Hadrian visited. Mongols raided Gaza, and 1,400 years ago Islamic armies invaded. Gaza has been part of the Ottoman Empire, a camp for Napoleon and a First World War battleground. But archaeology here does not flourish.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 00:00Written by Spencer Iowa
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A fresh hail of government rockets crashed into Misrata on Friday after Western allies denounced a "medieval siege" of the city and vowed to keep bombing Muammar Gaddafi's forces until he stepped down A local doctor told Al Jazeera at least eight people died and seven others were wounded in the second day of intense bombardment of Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya. Residents told the television network at least 120 rockets hit the city, where hundreds of civilians are reported to have died in a six-week siege. The suffering of Misrata is heaping pressure on Western allies to step up air attacks to stop the bombardment, but NATO is split over providing more planes for the task.
