Ivory Coast

President to review citizenship issue

Ivory Coast’s president agreed Saturday to a constitutional review of the requirements for presidency, an issue that has split the West African nation politically.

Laurent Gbagbo will ask the National Assembly to consider dropping a constitutional requirement that any presidential candidate be born of parents who were both born in Ivory Coast, presidential spokesman Desire Tagro said.

Ivory Coast’s southern-based government has used the requirement to bar a presidential run by Alassane Ouattara, claiming his parents were not born in Ivory Coast.

Serbia-Montenegro

Belgrade officials seek annulment of election

Serbia on Saturday demanded the U.N. administrator of Kosovo annul the election of the province’s new prime minister, a former rebel leader accused by Serbs of war crimes.

Belgrade officials said the Kosovo parliament had jeopardized talks on the province’s future as well as regional stability by choosing ethnic Albanian Ramush Haradinaj.

“A man who carries a heavy burden of crimes committed in both war and peace was elected the head of (Kosovo) government,” Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said. “That could have a decisive influence on the situation in Kosovo and the whole region.”

Turkey

Parliament approves EU-backed amendments

Turkey’s parliament approved proposals Saturday to scale down police powers and improve conditions of detainees before a crucial European Union summit that will decide whether to start membership negotiations with the largely Muslim country.

The European Union has demanded that Turkey carry out a series of reforms to qualify for membership in the bloc, such as abolishing the death penalty and cutting back the power of the military in politics.

The amendment to Turkey’s code on criminal proceedings approved Saturday is one of three reforms the nation’s government promised to adopt in time for a Dec. 16-17 EU summit.

Tokyo

Winds injure at least 13

Gale-force winds pounded eastern Japan early Sunday, knocking out power to homes, stirring coastal waves that caused a tanker ship to run aground and injuring at least 13 people.

Tokyo and the surrounding cities were hit with gusts reaching 107 mph in Chiba prefecture, just east of the capital, according to the Meteorological Agency. Winds dislodged roof tiles, collapsed construction scaffolding and blew debris that broke windows and punched holes into buildings.

“The winds were as strong or stronger than a typhoon,” agency official Kunihiko Yamanishi said.