Pakistan

Officials exploit ethnic rift in al-Qaida’s ranks

American and Pakistani intelligence agents are exploiting a growing rift between Arab members of al-Qaida and their Central Asian allies, a fissure that’s tearing at the network of Islamic extremists as militants compete for scarce hideouts, weapons and financial resources, counterterrorism officials say.

The rivalry may have contributed to the arrest last week of one of Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenants, a Libyan described as al-Qaida’s No. 3 and known to have had differences with Uzbeks. Captured Uzbek, Chechen and Tajik suspects have been giving up information about the movements of Arab al-Qaida militants in recent months, four Pakistani intelligence agents told The Associated Press, leading to a series of successful raids and arrests.

“When push comes to shove, the Uzbeks are going to stick together, and the Arabs are going to stick together,” said Kenneth Katzman, a terrorism expert with the Congressional Research Service in Washington.

Toronto

Motion calls for government to resign

Canada’s Parliament passed a motion Tuesday recommending that the ruling Liberal party resign, but Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government and constitutional experts insist they don’t have to.

The opposition has been angling for a technical maneuver to bring down Martin’s minority government, which has been paralyzed for weeks by verbal brawls over a corruption scandal within the Liberal Party.

The opposition demanded the Liberals resign after the vote passed 153-150. Each member of Parliament stood to record their vote and the opposition Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois cheered when the final tally was announced. They say the Liberals have lost the confidence of Parliament.

But the Liberals, who are hoping to delay an election, dismissed the motion as a procedural matter.

Tokyo

Court: Overseas bomb survivors deserve aid

Survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima who now live abroad are entitled to the same government-paid medical benefits and funeral costs enjoyed by survivors still living in Japan, a Japanese court ruled Tuesday.

The Hiroshima court ruled against the city of Hiroshima, which twice rejected the aid claims of three survivors and the widow of a fourth living in the United States.

Under the Atomic Survivors’ Support Law, survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who are officially recognized by the government are eligible for state health care and other benefits, including monthly allowances of up to $1,260 and free medical checkups. Their funeral costs also are paid.

There are 285,600 atomic bomb survivors, including 5,000 living abroad — many of them Koreans who were brought as soldiers or slave laborers to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and elsewhere in Japan during Tokyo’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula in 1910-45. About 900 survivors live in the United States.

The four survivors involved in the case, including one who died, moved to the United States after surviving the U.S. atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. They later visited Japan and obtained the government certificates to be eligible for the government support program.

Colombia

Soldiers accused of selling ammo back in U.S.

Two U.S. soldiers detained for allegedly attempting to sell ammunition to Colombian right-wing paramilitary groups have been flown to the United States, where they were placed in custody, officials said Tuesday.

The soldiers’ quiet departure for the United States came despite widespread calls for them to face trial here.

Warrant Officer Allan N. Tanquary and Sgt. Jesus Hernandez, who have diplomatic immunity within Colombia, were flown to the United States on Friday and placed in custody of the Defense Department, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.

U.S. Ambassador William Wood said Friday that he would allow local investigators to question Tanquary and Hernandez, but hours later they were flown out of the country, granted diplomatic immunity under a 1974 treaty. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were questioned before boarding the plane.

The two soldiers were arrested May 3 at a luxury estate near a military base southwest of Bogota and accused of plotting to deliver 40,000 rounds of ammunition to a paramilitary group.

Somalia

Key warlords agree to begin withdrawal

Warlords controlling thousands of militia fighters in the Somali capital will begin pulling their troops out of Mogadishu by the end of the week in an effort to restore order there, four key warlords said Tuesday.

The powerful warlords will pull their fighters back to four camps outside Mogadishu starting Saturday to guarantee the security of the transitional government when it returns from exile in neighboring Kenya, according to the statement.

Freelance militia fighters and those controlled by businessmen and Islamic courts, however, will not pull out. This may undermine efforts to restore order in the city where an estimated 10,500 armed fighters operate.

Somalia has been without a central government since clan-based warlords overthrew the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Warlords then turned on each other, plunging the Horn of Africa nation of 7 million into anarchy.

Puerto Rico

Official: 67 migrants saved when one calls 911

A migrant adrift at sea with 66 others on Tuesday called 911 and guided a U.S. helicopter to their boat, an official said.

The boat’s engine failed as it was making an illegal voyage from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and at least one of the migrants had a cellular phone, said Lt. j.g. Eric Willis, a Coast Guard spokesman.

A migrant dialed 911, he said.

A Coast Guard helicopter eventually spotted the boat some 14 miles northwest of Aguadilla. The migrants — 66 Dominicans and one Haitian — were taken aboard an arriving cutter.