Indonesia

China, Japan may meet at Asian summit

China’s president sidestepped discussion Thursday of his country’s deepening dispute with Japan, which has suggested a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Africa Summit to diffuse the crisis.

Massive anti-Japanese protests in China have erupted in recent weeks over World War II history, natural gas exploration and territorial disputes. Japan has demanded an apology for damages to its embassy and consulates, but the Chinese government has blamed Japan for the troubles.

The dispute threatens to overshadow a conference of Asian and African leaders, which both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are attending.

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Thursday that he expected China to accept the offer of a summit between the country’s two leaders.

China has only said it was still considering whether to attend.

Toronto

Leader apologizes on TV for corruption scandal

Prime Minister Paul Martin apologized to the nation Thursday night for a corruption scandal that has shaken his Liberal Party, as he delivered a rare televised address aimed at rescuing his minority government.

Acknowledging the allegations of money laundering and kickbacks have created an “unjustifiable mess,” the embattled leader pledged to call an election within a month after an investigation, expected to be completed by Dec. 15.

“Those who are in power are to be held responsible, and that includes me,” Martin said of the charges, which have disgusted Canadians and prompted the opposition Conservative Party to threaten a no-confidence vote that could take down the government.

Saudi Arabia

Militants, police killed in violent clashes

Islamic militants clashed with Saudi security forces in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca and nearby Jiddah, killing two militants and two policemen Thursday as the kingdom held a final round of municipal elections.

The bloodshed was the latest in the Saudi Arabia’s two-year crackdown on al-Qaida-linked militants opposed to the ruling family, a campaign that authorities have said they were winning with the killings of several high-level suspects over the past month.

The fighting in Mecca started when four militants in a car tried to cross through a checkpoint into the city several hours after polls closed.

When stopped, the militants tried to flee. Police captured the driver but the three others fled.

Several security officials in Mecca said the three took shelter in nearby houses. After several hours of fighting, two militants and two policemen were killed and four members of the security forces were wounded, the Interior Ministry said.

London

Court says ill baby should be allowed to die

Rejecting a bid by the parents, a British judge on Thursday upheld a court order allowing doctors to let a critically ill baby die if she stops breathing — a move doctors say is the only humane way to end the child’s suffering.

Eighteen-month-old Charlotte Wyatt, who weighed about a pound when she was born prematurely, can hardly see or hear. Her brain and other organs are so seriously damaged that she has “no feeling other than continuing pain,” according to physicians.

Darren and Debbie Wyatt, who believe in preserving life at any cost, sought to overturn a court order granted in October.

But Justice Mark Hedley was not persuaded by the parents’ pleas.

“I am quite clear that it would not be in Charlotte’s best interests to die in the course of futile aggressive treatment,” Hedley ruled Thursday.