QINGDAO: US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel visited China’s sole aircraft carrier yesterday in an unprecedented opening by normally secretive Beijing to a potent symbol of its military buildup. A US official said the visit to the carrier the Liaoning, at a port in the northern city of Qingdao, lasted about two hours. No other details were immediately available. The official believed Hagel was the first official visitor from outside China to be allowed on board the Liaoning, although that could not be immediately confirmed. Chinese security experts said Beijing could be trying to quell US criticism that it was not transparent about its military modernisation.
Italy envoy held over abuse
MANILA: An Italian diplomat detained in the Philippines is being investigated for alleged child abuse after he was found in the company of three youngsters. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said police arrested Daniele Bosio at a water fun park near Manila at the weekend following a tip-off from a local child rights group. “He is now in detention while his case is undergoing preliminary investigation with the prosecutor,” de Lima said.
Governor set for presidency
JAKARTA: Indonesians vote tomorrow in parliamentary elections expected to set popular Jakarta governor Joko Widodo, a fresh face in a country dominated by an ageing elite from the Suharto era, on course to become president in July. Known universally by his nickname of “Jokowi,” 52-year-old Widodo has been a political phenomenon since he became the capital’s leader in 2012, and has topped presidential opinion polls for months. His common touch - he regularly visits Jakarta’s slums in his trademark checked shirt - has made him a hit with voters weary of the Suharto-era tycoons and ex-military figures.
Lanka slams UN probe
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will not cooperate with a United Nations inquiry into alleged war crimes by government forces and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in the final phase of their 26-year war, its foreign minister said yesterday. The UN, through a US-led resolution, last month set an inquiry into the alleged war crimes and human rights abuses after the government failed to investigate them properly. The government has rejected the allegations. Gamini Lakshman Peiris said the government had not accepted UN investigations due to concerns over its legality, fairness, and conflict of interest. Agencies
