Philippines charges Arroyo with election fraud

The Philippine Commission on Elections approved fraud charges Friday against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and several other former officials, state media reported.

Arroyo is charged in connection with the alleged manipulation of results during 2007 Senate elections, according to the Philippines News Agency.

The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

Arroyo was stopped from leaving the country Tuesday as she was trying to board a plane at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, hours after the country's Supreme Court overruled government-imposed restrictions on her travels. The Supreme Court again Friday rejected the government's travel ban, saying she was free to leave as long as she posted a bond and met other requirements, said Jose Midas Marquez, a court spokesman
Arroyo was reportedly boarding the flight to seek medical treatment abroad for her bone disease diagnosed earlier this year, following three unsuccessful spinal operations in the Philippines. She arrived at the airport in an ambulance and was transported to the departure gate in a wheelchair while wearing a neck brace.

Arroyo's lawyer, Raul Lambino, said the former first couple was "subjected to indignity and embarrassment at the airport," calling the government's defiance of the Supreme Court order "abhorrent and in violation of the rights of the individual guaranteed by the (Philippine's) constitution and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda described the situation as "all high drama," according to media reports. "They (the Arroyos) want the public to sympathize with them," he added.

He said that while the Arroyo couple would be treated with dignity, the government would be "firm in our decision not to allow them to leave the country." Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, is also accused of corruption.

The Supreme Court, which is mostly staffed by judges hired under Arroyo, defied current President Benigno Aquino's state mandate of investigating allegations of corruption during Arroyo's 2001-2010 presidential term.

NATO forces may hand over violent provinces to Afghan control

NATO forces may soon transfer two of the most volatile areas in the country over to Afghan security forces as part of the second phase of a nationwide security handover as part of the drawdown of American forces, NATO and Afghan officials said.

The Arghandab Valley in Kandahar and the district of Nad e Ali in Helmand -- areas where violent clashes with the insurgency that have left many American and British soldiers dead in recent years -- are among the regions being discussed as part of the "tranche 2" handover that President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce in the coming weeks.

While these areas have seen a recent reduction in violence, their history as hotbeds of insurgent violence has raised concerns the districts may be more vulnerable to Taliban resurgence after a substantial NATO drawdown of troops.

Handing over these more volatile areas now, analysts say, could help ensure that the Afghan army and police can be reinforced with NATO forces if local forces encounter renewed insurgent attacks.

"It is good when we have a significant NATO presence in Afghanistan to start with the toughest parts in Afghanistan and that will provide the opportunity for the Afghan security forces to defend themselves and in the meantime have the support of NATO," said Haroun Mir, a political analyst in Kabul.

An Afghan official close to the presidency said that while the original list of 17 regions to be handed over did not contain these names, it was possible the president may decide to add them as part of a "political decision". The final decision on which areas to transition rests with the Afghan Presidential Palace, NATO officials say. Karzai is expected to make an announcement on the next regions to be handed over to Afghan control.

But to others, the plan is a high-risk strategy which could put Afghan forces into a tough fight for which they are not ready.

One local leader in Arghandab, its district chief, Haji Shah Mohammad, told CNN that while security in his area had improved significantly, it was due to the heavy presence of NATO forces in the area.

"I do not agree with the idea of transitioning Arghandab because our Afghan forces are not up to the point where they are able to handle security without international forces' support," Shah Mohammad told CNN, adding he had also heard his district could be transitioned to local control.

Shah Mohammad said he was concerned the Taliban in his region were waiting for an opportunity to strike again. "I think it is too early for Arghandab to be transitioned," he said, adding that Afghan security forces were inadequately equipped to handle the task.

An official in the governor's office in Helmand, the province where the Nad-e-Ali district is located, confirmed that it was one of two regions they had proposed to be handed over to Afghan security forces in the coming months. A spokesman for the Helmand governor, Daoud Ahmedi, said: "We proposed Nad-e-Ali because already Afghans are responsible for much of security."

Yet Ahmedi added that about a tenth of its area should still receive international help, even after the transition, as it remained volatile, he said.

18 killed in suspected U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan

Suspected U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region killed 18 alleged militants Tuesday night, intelligence officials told CNN.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said the suspected drones fired two missiles at different sites in South Waziristan.

South Waziristan is one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The intelligence officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

U.S. officials rarely discuss the CIA's drone program in Pakistan, though privately they have said the covert strikes are legal and an effective tactic in the fight against extremists.

U.S. and Australia announce greater military cooperation

The United States announced an agreement with Australia Wednesday that will expand military cooperation between the long-time allies and boost America's presence in the region.

The agreement was revealed during a joint news conference between U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the nation's capital, Canberra.

Obama is on a two-day trip to Australia, his first visit as commander-in-chief.

"I am very pleased that we are able to make these announcements here together on Australian soil," Obama said. "Because of these initiatives that are the result of our countries working very closely together as partners, we are going to be in a position to more effectively strengthen the security of both of our nations and this region."
President Obama arrives in Australia
Obama stresses Asia-Pacific importance

Under the agreement, up to 250 U.S. Marines will be sent to Darwin and the northern region of Australia for military exercises and training. Over the next several years their numbers are expected to climb to 2,500 -- a full Marine ground task force.

While U.S. officials cited the need to respond to regional natural disasters as a reason for the agreement, concern over China's military expansion is widely acknowledged as a driving factor.

"What we look at is how does our general force posture allow us to protect U.S. interests, protect our allies, and ... secure the region broadly," Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters traveling with the president. "China is obviously a piece of the Asia Pacific region, an emerging power."

Rhodes later added that the deal is "part of the U.S. sending a signal that we're going to be present, that we're going to continue to play the role of underpinning security in this part of the region. Part of that context is a rising China."

Analysts note that the deal sends a message to China in a less confrontational way than building up bases closer to Chinese shores.

"The Chinese can squawk about it," said Patrick Cronin, senior director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. "But it's not like having an aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea."

Obama himself, however, insisted during his news conference that "the notion that we fear China is mistaken."

The president's Australian visit -- postponed twice in 2009 and 2010 due to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and other domestic political considerations -- highlights a changing balance of power in the Pacific as China expands its military reach and the United States works to reduce its military footprint in Japan.

Obama's Australian visit comes on the heels of last weekend's 19-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which highlighted the need for new measures supporting job growth. During the Hawaiian summit, Obama stressed the importance of the Pacific to global economic security, and he pushed China to do more to help strengthen the world economy.

After wrapping up his visit to Australia, Obama will conclude his Pacific trip with a stop in Indonesia -- a country he spent several years living in during his childhood.

Pakistan security forces kill 20 militants

Security forces killed 20 militants in an operation in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, military officials said.

Helicopters launched an aerial assault on militant hideouts in central Kurram Agency, a semiautonomous tribal area bordering Afghanistan, the officials said.

The officials did not want to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

A Pakistani soldier died in the operation, the officials said.

The operation was part of an ongoing offensive by security forces against militants in South Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai agencies.

Karzai aims to set limits on American troops

Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to set limits on what American and NATO troops could -- and could not -- do in his country Wednesday in a lengthy speech to tribal elders.

"America is powerful, has more money, but we are lions here. Lions have the habit of not liking strangers getting into their house," Karzai said.

"We want our sovereignty from today. Our relations should be between two independent countries," he said in a speech that appears to have been designed to boost his nationalist credentials with a domestic audience.

He was also broadly critical of NATO, saying the intended departure of NATO troops in 2014 was "good for Afghans."

NATO plans to withdraw most combat troops by that date, but is currently negotiating what sort of long-term presence they might have here.
Karzai called the national assembly, or loya jirga, to sound out tribal elders on a long-term pact with the US military and harness their consent.

The conditions Karzai spelled out on a long-term foreign military presence were mostly formalizations of long-held Afghan complaints about the international presence here.

"I'd like to tell them they can't arrest any Afghan on our soil and they can't have prisons. We have a justice and security system and that is up to us," he said.

He said he thought a deal that enabled US forces to have bases in Afghanistan was beneficial but added they would not be able to attack Afghanistan's neighbors from inside the country, conduct night raids, search houses, or arrest Afghans.

He also said that night raids by foreign troops must stop completely and that NATO troops should not be allowed to search people's houses - complaints that have already prompted NATO to adjust its operations and incorporate greater Afghan assistance.

The speech was made before an audience who in part -- like many Afghans -- are skeptical of both his alliance with NATO and his leadership in general.

He was also keen to court Iran - and perhaps its supporters in the audience of elders - by saying: "We want to say that Iran is our brother. During the years of jihad, Iran has been one of the best countries for hospitality for Afghans. They are our brother."

He also voiced fears that Afghanistan could see the same instability and collapse witnessed after the Soviet withdrawal in the late 80s.

The loya jirga, or national assembly, is considered by many an important step towards any possible peace deal with elements of the insurgency.

Hundreds of community leaders have been invited from across the country, with the meeting a test of Karzai's potency as a cohesive leader.

The turnout Wednesday was considerable.

Troops, security officials, and police lined the roads outside the loya jirga tent, near the Intercontinental Hotel on the capital's outskirts.

The Taliban have long threatened to disrupt the event.

On Monday, security forces killed a suicide bomber near the meeting site. The attacker was wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase when he was stopped, said General Ayoub Salangi, chief of Kabul police.

On Sunday, a Taliban-affiliated website published what it claimed was a leaked document containing confidential government security plans for the meeting.

The leaked security plans included a detailed satellite map of the area and purported details of the security arrangements, but the Interior Ministry immediately dismissed them as fake.

Ambani calls for the younger leadership in India

Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man, has called for a generational change in the country's gerontocratic leadership, and urged the government to move faster to implement reforms that would help meet its young population's economic ambitions.

"We've had a mystery [in India] where we think that [important] jobs can only be done by 60-yearr-old plus [people]. . . I think we're now fast moving to say that our 40-year-olds can take more responsibility and can perform better," Mr Ambani, 54, told business leaders and policymakers at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit in Mumbai.

He added that moving towards "leadership [that] reflects our demographics", should be a top priority for the country.

The tycoon's call for younger leadership comes as 41-year-old Rahul Gandhi prepares to take greater responsibility in India's ruling Congress party from his ailing mother Sonia, the party president, and as the country's economy recedes from much-wanted double-digit growth.

Many political analysts are expecting an imminent transition of power in which Mr Gandhi -- the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty -- takes a more visible role following the treatment of his 64-year-old mother for an unknown illness in the US over the summer.

Some expect him to take the party's presidency before crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh next year.

About 70 per cent of India's 1.2bn people are under 35. Mr Ambani's call to "align leadership with demographics" is an appeal for greater dynamism in Asia's third largest economy at a time when the administration of Manmohan Singh, the 79-year-old prime minister, is flagging. The opposition Bharatiya Janata party is led by the 83-year old L.K. Advani.

Likewise, some of its leading businesses, such as the Tata Group, are led by septuagenarians.

One of the top complaints of Mumbai industrialists, alongside high domestic borrowing costs, is paralysis in India's parliament and bureaucracy following a slew of embarrassing high-profile corruption scandals.

Mr Singh and his top economic team were absent from the WEF, viewed as a key investment showcase held this year for the first time in India's financial capital. Previously, Mr Singh has used the event to sell his country's prospects to foreign investors.

Janmejaya Sinha, the chairman of the Boston Consulting Group in the Asia-Pacific region, said: "The government's record in addressing the big issues is abysmal."

"The issues are ethical not economic, but we keep saying it is an economic problem," he said about New Delhi's failure to push through improvements in education, healthcare and power.

Mr Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, India's largest family-controlled conglomerate by market capitalisation, emphasised that it was essential for the government to speed up reform to meet the demands of the fast growing private sector. "The reality is that India is a land of a billion opportunities and not of a billion problems," he said.

Room at the top

Oldies

Manmohan Singh Prime minister, 79, a respected technocrat in his second term as PM

Pranab Mukherjee Finance minister, 75, and Congress party's troubleshooter

L.K. Advani Leader of opposition Bharatiya Janata party, 83

Sonia Gandhi Congress president, 64, Italian-born wife of murdered former PM Rajiv Gandhi

Ratan Tata Tata Group chairman, 73. A search is on for his successor at the head of one of India's largest industrial groups

Youngsters

Rahul Gandhi Congress general secretary, 41, widely tipped as a future PM

Sachin Pilot Junior minister of technology, 34, son of a late Congress politician

Varun Gandhi A BJP leader, 31, Rahul's cousin who has gone over to the Hindu nationalist opposition

Madhu Kannan Managing director of Bombay Stock Exchange, 38

Sachin Bansal FlipKart chief, 28, founded India's answer to Amazon.com with his brother

Central Bangkok spared worst of flooding and more high tides will come

The central business district of Bangkok dodged severe flooding Saturday afternoon, but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide.

A dreaded tide on Saturday spurred residents' fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the Chao Phraya River and its many canals.

Bangkok's outer suburbs were already submerged, but the central city has been largely spared the misery Thailand has been suffering for months in the nation's worst flooding since 1942.

In the east and the north of the city, water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods.
But the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats.

Massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through Bangkok, as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction.

"The challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the Gulf of Thailand," a Red Cross bulletin said.

Bangkok's Chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a Saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate, with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered work crews Friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage, according to the MCOT news agency. But the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps, the Bangkok Post reported.

Health concerns were rising with the water.

Bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within, the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials. The government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater.

"We were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters, and every day we see children playing in the water, bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground," said Annie Bodmer-Roy, spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Save the Children.
As floodwater entered homes, some Bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave.

Thanyarat Hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city.

"Some families in southern Bangkok had their house flooded," said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company, which was shut after it also was flooded. "The water level is 2 meters (six feet) high and smells very bad," she said.

The Bangkok Post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs, and would pick up residents of the capital on Saturday and take them out of Bangkok. As of Saturday, an estimated 1 million of the city's 12 million residents had left.

Another Bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house, which has been flooded for five days, and would not leave.

Panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital, residents said.

And the worst might not yet be over.

Another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters (13 feet) high -- is forecast for Sunday morning.

Officials urged tourists to steer clear of Bangkok, while noting that many of the other tourist spots, such as Phuket, remained dry and open for business.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health had transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the MCOT news agency reported.

The remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by Sunday, it said, citing Permanent-Secretary for Health Paichit Varachit.

Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that, after months of flooding, 107,101 Thais have been diagnosed with stress, 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide. In all, 1,356 people were under observation by health officials, the minister said, according to MCOT.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert on Thursday, recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas. It noted that most tourist destinations, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai, were unaffected.

U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next.

The floods, caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers, have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people,

Are you there? Share photos, video but stay safe
 The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede from some areas.

The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge in them.

Overall damage from the floods could exceed $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry said.

NATO: Kabul suicide bomb attack

Five troops and eight civilians were killed in central Kabul when a suicide bomber struck a vehicle in a military convoy, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Saturday.

One Canadian was killed in the attack, said Lt. Colonel Christian Lemay.

A U.S. military official had said earlier that 13 Americans had died, but an ISAF spokesman could not confirm that number.

The U.S. official emphasized details are continuing to unfold. A heavily damaged vehicle was believed to be an armored bus that was carrying U.S. troops from one base to another. A senior NATO official identified it as a custom-built, heavily armored Rhino.

The attack caused a "number" of NATO and local Afghan casualties, ISAF said in a statement. Four Afghans, including two students, were also killed, said Hashmat Stanikzai, spokesman for Kabul's police chief.
A Taliban spokesman confirmed Saturday's attack in a text message, saying it killed "16 foreign soldiers, one civilian" and injured many others.

Taliban casualty counts are often inflated; there was no other reliable indication 16 foreigners were killed.

Stanikzai said the vehicle used in the attack appeared to be a red Toyota Corolla packed with a significant amount of explosives.

It was unclear how many people were wounded, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul expressed condolences to families and said it will continue the victims' "dedicated work on behalf of peace in this country and region."

"It's a shock. It makes you mad. It makes me angry," said U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. "We are not going to let these guys win."

The attack was one of two targeting NATO-led forces on Saturday.

U.S. and coalition casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq

A gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on coalition forces during training, killing three and wounding several others, ISAF said. The shooter was killed in the incident in southern Afghanistan.

The coalition did not provide any other details about the shooting, and did not disclose the nationalities of those killed.

In another suicide attack in northeastern Afghanistan, a woman in a burqa detonated herself near the nation's intelligence agency.

She tried to enter the National Directorate of Security and was shot at, but she still managed to detonate herself, said Sabour Alayar, deputy police chief of Kunar province.

Two officers and two civilians were wounded, he said, adding that the female suicide bomber was about 25 years old.

Alayar said they had intelligence of a suicide bomber looking for a target, and their security forces were on alert.

Gen. John R. Allen, commander of ISAF, condemned Saturday's attacks across the country.

"I am both saddened and outraged by the attacks that took place today against Coalition forces and the people of Afghanistan," Allen said in a statement. "The enemies of peace are not martyrs, but murderers. To hide the fact that they are losing territory, support, and the will to fight, our common enemy continues to employ suicide attackers to kill innocent Afghan fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, as well as the Coalition forces who have volunteered to protect them."

The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan marked its 10th year earlier this month having passed two major milestones: The Taliban has been forced out of power and Osama bin Laden is dead.

But Afghanistan has been hit by a wave of high-profile attacks in recent months that have jeopardized the peace negotiations.

September's turban bomb assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, revered by many as a father of the Mujahedeen movement that ousted the Soviets in the 1980s, appears to have dealt the biggest blow to the peace process.

Rabbani was the chairman of President Hamid Karzai's High Council for Peace, which has been trying for a year to foster dialogue with the Taliban -- a strategy that Karzai publicly abandoned following Rabbani's killing.

Nearly 2,800 troops from the United States and its partners have died during the 10 years of war, according to a CNN count.

Bangkok faces worst flooding yet

Bangkok faces the highest flood levels yet and is preparing for the worst, the governor of the Thai capital.

Residents are urged to flee the rising floodwaters, which have already forced the closure of Bangkok's Don Muang airport and the evacuation of flood victims who have taken refuge there.

Thailand's government has declared a five-day public holiday in flood-affected provinces to try to encourage people to seek safety elsewhere before high tides expected this weekend.

But Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paripatra told CNN the authorities could not evacuate a whole city and it was difficult to persuade the Thai people to leave their homes, despite the risk.

"Apparently there will be large volume of water run-off coming toward the city tonight onwards, and over the weekend," he said. "At the point of high tide, it will be very high, the highest this year. We are bracing for the worse."

Thongthong Chantharangsu, a spokesman for Thailand's Flood Relief Operations Center, appealed on TV for Bangkok residents to head to the countryside.

Floodwaters extend from Rangsit, north of Bangkok, to Don Muang airport and Yingcharoen Market, state-run news agency MCOT reported.

The water has reached 30cm (12 inches) in places and is overflowing on to sidewalks and some roads, causing problems for small vehicles and leading to traffic congestion, the agency said.

In a televised address Tuesday night, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the capital could be submerged by as much as 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) of water.
Of particular concern were areas along the Chao Phraya River, which winds through the capital and is expected to overwhelm embankments this weekend.

The Airports of Thailand declared Don Muang airport, which primarily services domestic flights, closed Tuesday night, after floodwaters flowed on to runways and affected the lighting.

Nok Air, which usually operates from Don Muang, was forced to cancel flights but should be able to run an almost normal schedule by Friday after moving its operations to the main Suvarnabhumi Airport, the airline's chief executive Patee Sarasin said Wednesday. Some 3,000 Nok Air passengers were affected by flight cancellations Tuesday, he said.

The flood relief operation will continue to be based at the airport, the Thai government said Wednesday.

More than 600 prisoners held at Bang Kwang Central Prison have been evacuated, according to the Department of Corrections. The high-security prison has about 4,000 inmates, the chief of the prison said, some of them high-profile.

The floods have also forced the Dusit Zoo to evacuate some animals, including goat antelope and Sika deer, to a zoo in the countryside, according to Dusit Zoo's chief, Karnchai Saenwong.

The U.S. ambassador to Thailand, Kristie A. Kenny, said the crisis was slow moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next.

The United States has already provided civilian relief resources including water pumps, purifiers and life vests, she said, and two U.S. helicopters are helping the Thai military survey the extent of the flooding.

Nationwide, the floods have killed 373 people and affected more than 9.5 million people, authorities said.

The public holiday announced Tuesday will be from Thursday to next Monday and will be effective in 21 provinces, including Bangkok, that are still under water, a government spokeswoman said.

The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede in some areas.

The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge.

Overall damage from the floods has risen and could top $6 billion, with the worst yet to come as the waters destroy shops and paralyze factories nationwide, the Thai Finance Ministry said.

Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism, which has been diminished by the flooding.

Indian Leader Looks to Expand Family of 39 Wives, 94 Children

After marrying 39 women and fathering nearly 100 children, a tribal Christian cult leader in India said he wants to expand his family by walking down the aisle a few more times, the Hindustan Times reported Monday, citing the Indo-Asian News Service.

Zionnghaka Chana, 67, from the eastern city of Mizoram, has 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren.

The family forms part of the "Channa" cult, named after Zionnghaka's father, who had 50 wives.

Zionnghaka said he would like to push toward his father's tally of wives. "I can travel beyond the borders of Mizoram or even India to marry, as that would help me to expand my family," he said.

Other Christian leaders in the region have decried the cult's ways, saying that true Christianity does not allow polygamy.

But Zionnghaka's family members and wives -- who share his bed on a rotational basis -- said they are happy with their lives.

"We are all happy, and like any other church, we believe in the existence of God, but the only distinctive difference is that our denomination allows us to marry more than one wife," according to Nunparliana, one of Zionnghaka's sons.

Floods reach Bangkok airport

Flood waters in Bangkok have reached Don Muang Airport, one of the Thai capital's two main airports and home to the flood relief operation command, which may have to move to another location, according to the governor.

In addition to Don Muang, residents in five other areas should prepare for floods, move their belongings to upper floors and take shelter at evacuation centers, Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said in a news conference on Monday.

Thammasat University's gymnasium, which has been used as an evacuation center, is also flooded and without electricity and is itself being evacuated, the governor added.

As a remedy, about 4,000 people will be bused to Rajamangala Stadium in central Bangkok with the help of 300-400 volunteers, according to the governor.

In the east, the industrial estates of Lat Krabang and Bang Chan remained under threat, and volunteers were sought for help with sandbagging.

The governor urged the public not to panic and to follow his reports closely.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said authorities were trying to control the water levels by using all the dams and dikes to cope with an unusually heavy rainy season.

Protecting Bangkok was a priority because it comprises the economic heart of Thailand, she said. "But it doesn't mean we have no concern for the people who are suffering from the flooding," she added.
The decision to divert water through canals in Bangkok means parts of the city and its surrounding suburbs, such as Rangsit, are flooded.

Residents have resorted to moving out of flooded homes by boat or anything that could float -- or wading through water with plastic bags of belongings balanced on their heads or pets tucked into clothes.

The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said some areas might require more than a month before waters recede.

More high tides are expected in the coming week, which could cause rivers to back up, further raising water levels, according to Thailand's Flood Relief Operations Command.

The government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge.

Many residents waded through dirty water in the capital in recent days, as they made a desperate attempt to save their belongings.

The flooding has already killed 356 people, with nearly 9 million others affected, authorities said.

Overall damage from the floods have risen and could top $6 billion, with the worst yet to come as the waters destroy shops and paralyze factories nationwide, the Thai Finance Ministry said.

Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism.

Floodwaters Displace Families in Thailand

 Supanee Pansuwan has already picked up and moved four times since fast-rising floodwaters began swallowing her home in central Thailand a month ago. Now, as the murky waters threaten the shelter on the outskirts of Bangkok where she's lived for the past two weeks, she's being asked to flee again.

"I believe the water is chasing me," she said Monday, sitting on the floor of a dark university gymnasium that has served as one of Thailand's main evacuation centers since the worst floods in half a century swamped many people's lives. "Anywhere I go, the water will follow me. So if I make another move, I think the water will follow me again."

Supanee's fears and confusion over where to go and how bad the flooding is going to get are shared by many Thais. Since the floodwaters began inundating areas north of the capital of 9 million two weeks ago, Bangkok residents have been on edge while watching the waters creep closer to the city center each day.

Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra warned residents in a televised address late Sunday that a large volume of water is surging forward faster than expected and is threatening six districts as it moves closer to the city's more developed areas, including neighborhoods near Chatuchuk weekend market, a popular shopping stop for tourists.

Sukhumbhand said the waters also are expected to swamp the Don Muang area just north of the city proper. The area is home to Bangkok's old airport, which is now being used as the headquarters for the anti-flood effort and as a shelter for evacuees.

Facing public pressure and scrutiny from the media, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra tried to downplay any notion that her government was not being upfront with information, following a number of upbeat statements that have conflicted with Sukhumbhand's more menacing assessments. The conflict has a political tinge since Sukhumbhand is a prominent member of the opposition Democrat Party, which was ousted from power by Yingluck just a few months ago.

"This is the third month that water came into Thailand, since July, in the form of four consecutive storms," Yingluck told reporters Monday. "Normally, if one storm hits, the runoff will be drained off from the dams and there will be a break. We've never hidden anything from the people. We've informed them about every solution we've taken."

Yingluck said over the weekend that the waters may take up to six weeks to recede to manageable proportions around Bangkok, while the flood response agency said the threat that floodwaters will inundate the capital could ease by early November as record-high levels in the rivers carrying torrents of water from the country's north begin to decline.

On Monday, cars were double-parked on parts of an elevated highway near Don Muang to escape the water. The smell of raw sewage mixed with the swift currents sweeping across parts of the main highway a bit farther north in Pathum Thani province near Thammasat University, where the military was helping to evacuate hundreds of flood victims who carried their few belongings slung across their backs in garbage bags.

Of the 4,000 people who had sought refuge at the university -- now surrounded by water 5 feet (1.6 meters) deep -- 700 headed for Bangkok's National Stadium on Monday. More than 100,000 others have been left homeless nationwide since heavy monsoon rains began overpowering the country's network of rivers and canals, submerging an area roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut.

More than 100 patients from hospitals in Bangkok, including Thammasat University Hospital, were moved over the weekend to regional facilities, the government said Monday.

The flooding began in August in northern Thailand and has killed 356 people and delivered an economic blow to industry and agriculture. Damage is already estimated at $6 billion, but that could double if Bangkok is badly hit.

Anxiety is high, as nervous Bangkok residents scramble to build sandbag barricades around their homes and businesses, not sure if or when the water will come. Drinking water, rice, canned food and toilet paper is hard to find in many supermarkets as shoppers race to hoard supplies.

Those like Supanee, who is from the old capital of Ayutthaya, which has been submerged for more than two weeks, are no longer worried about will come, but now fear what they will find when they finally go home. The water came so fast that Supanee's family didn't have time to move their car, and although they managed to drag most of their furniture and electronics upstairs, it still wasn't high enough. The floodwater surged chest-high on the second floor.

From there, the extended family of seven fled to a Buddhist temple until it was overrun with water, and then were forced to leave a tent at city hall. They later bounced from one gym to another at Thammasat University, and are now determined to ride it out there, despite risking food and water shortages to stay put. Electricity has already been cut.

"It's quite hard to move to another place," Supanee said, smiling, while trying to stay positive about the fact that her family will now have more room. "I'm tired of moving."

North Korea seek to restart six-party talks

U.S. officials held a "positive" meeting Monday with a North Korean delegation in an effort to restart talks with the reclusive nation over ending Pyongyang's nuclear program, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy said.

The decision by the United States to launch the two days of discussions in Geneva, Switzerland, stems in part from recent meetings between North Korea and South Korea, a senior State Department official told reporters traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Afghanistan last week.

"We are moving in a positive direction," U.S. Ambassador Stephen Bosworth said from the Kempinski Hotel in Geneva after the meeting concluded. "We have narrowed some differences but we still have differences that we have to resolve."

The day started with both nations presenting their positions on the resumption of talks. Clifford Hart, U.S. special envoy to the six-party talks on North Korea, called the presentations "useful."

The groups also dined together for dinner before adjourning for the night, said Bosworth, who is leading the U.S. delegation. The North Korean delegation is led by First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, Hart said.

Discussions will continue Tuesday.

"As you know our goal is to find a solid foundation on which to launch a resumption of discussions both bilateral and multilateral and we will continue to work hard to bring that about," Bosworth said.

At a previous meeting between the two countries in July, Washington laid out a list of things it was looking for from Pyongyang to demonstrate its seriousness about abandoning its nuclear ambitions, the State Department official told reporters last week.

One of the things the United States was seeking is North Korean engagement with South Korea, the official said, adding that a recent "constructive meeting" between the two countries helped get the parties to this point.

The official said there is concern that if the United States or South Korea do not engage with North Korea, it could lead to miscalculation or provocations on the part of North Korea.
The official said the meeting in Geneva would give the United States an opportunity to see how the North Koreans absorbed what the Americans laid out in July, and what North Korea's intentions are.

Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the meetings "exploratory" in nature.

"We are not seeking to have talks for talks' sake," Toner said. It's "safe to say we are looking for concrete actions" by North Korea before resuming the six-party talks, which have been dormant since 2008, Toner said.

The six-party talks are a vehicle launched under former President George W. Bush to negotiate an end to Pyongyang's nuclear program. They involve both Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. At various points, progress seemed to be made, only to have North Korea either pull out over disagreements on verifiable declarations of their nuclear program or engage in what some U.S. officials described as belligerent behavior that scuttled the talks.

The United States has been in contact on a regular basis with all sides involved in the six-party talks, Toner said.

Washington has called repeatedly for Pyongyang to undertake a series of prerequisite steps, such as halting missile and nuclear tests, and further development of nuclear weapons, to show it is interested in coming back to talks.

At a news conference this month with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "If Pyongyang continues to ignore its international obligations, it will invite even more pressure and isolation. If the North abandons its quest for nuclear weapons and moves towards denuclearization, it will enjoy greater security and opportunity for its people."
After taking office in 2009, Obama was met with a set of provocations. North Korea test-fired missiles and conducted a new round of nuclear tests. A small opening toward the resumption of talks was reversed after North Korea was accused of sinking a South Korean naval vessel in the Yellow Sea, followed by their artillery shelling of a South Korean island in November 2010 in which two civilians were killed.

Bosworth will step down from his position after the meetings and will be succeeded by Glyn Davies, the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, diplomatic sources said.

The State Department did not give a specific reason for Bosworth's decision to step down, but Toner said he believes it is a "personal" decision. In addition to his role at the State Department, Bosworth has also maintained his position on the faculty at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts University outside Boston.

Hart, a foreign policy adviser to the U.S. Navy and an expert on China and Taiwan, will become the new chief U.S. negotiator to the six-party talks and will report to Davies in his new role.

A woman rescued bleeding toddler left for dead

Money rewards are coming in for a woman who rescued a bleeding toddler left for dead last week by multiple passersby in southern China.
Two hit-and-run drivers rammed into Wang Yue, 2, one after another, as she walked on a narrrow street in Foshan.
More than a dozen people walked, cycled or drove past as she lay bleeding in a busy market, sparking a global outcry on the state of morality in a fast-changing society.
Wang is in critical condition, her brain showing little activity despite earlier subtle movements in the lower body, said her mother, Qu Feifei.


But despite the many villains in the story, it has also turned the spotlight on an unlikely hero: A 58-year-old scavenger.
In the video that has sparked outrage globally, Chen Xianmei moves the baby to safety, becoming an instant symbol of understated decency in a nation analysts say is obsessed with climbing the economic ladder.


"I didn't think of anything at the time," Chen said Sunday. "I just wanted to save the girl."
Two government offices in Guangdong province, where the hit-and-run occurred, offered the Good Samaritan a total of 20,000 yuan (US $3,135), according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
Wang's mother has said she does not understand the behavior of the passersby, but wants to focus on the positive.


"Granny Chen represents the best of human nature," she said of her daughter's rescuer. "It's the nicest and most natural side of us."
On Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, the story continued to be the No. 1 topic after generating more than 4.5 million posts along with a "stop apathy" online campaign.
As the outrage over morality continues, a steady procession of well-wishers pours in, offering gifts, money and support to the toddler's family.

Britain's queen on 10-day visit to Australia

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Canberra Wednesday for her 16th -- and possibly last -- official visit to Australia.
The 85-year-old monarch will open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth on October 28 as part of a 10-day visit to the country with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The reaction in the media and among most Australians has been warm and respectful, despite the lingering issue of republicanism in a country where the queen is the official head of state -- though this is largely ceremonial.


"There is an enormous amount of respect and goodwill [towards the queen], regardless of political views," said Phillip Coorey, chief political correspondent at the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Even people who are republicans like the queen. She's a person who's hard to dislike. She's been present throughout their lifetimes and their parents' lifetimes."
Coorey said he expects this visit to be far more emotional, given that this is widely considered to be her last.
Since a landmark 1999 referendum when more than half of all Australians polled voted against republicanism, the issue has been mostly sidelined on the nation's political agenda.
A recent opinion poll revealed that 55% of Australians support the monarchy, while 34% support a republic-- the lowest percentage in 23 years.


Coorey suggested the issue of republicanism was "very much on hold," with republicans unlikely to press their agenda while Queen Elizabeth is on the throne.
He suggested the "best time for [republicans] to make their move" would be when Prince Charles, who is not as popular among ordinary Australians, inherits the throne, compared with his hugely popular son, Prince William, who is next in line.
William's marriage to long-time girlfriend Catherine Middleton earlier this year revitalized popular interest and affection towards the monarchy around the world. One Australian newspaper -- The Advertiser -- said the live broadcast of the royal wedding "forc[ed] Friday night football to second television status in most households."


"I know Prince William's visit really gave people a shot in the arm after the terrible disasters we had and I'm sure that people will feel the same when they see Queen Elizabeth here...," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told the Australian Associated Press, referring to the floods that devastated much of the state at the start of the year.


Ultimately, the throne's occupant is but one factor in determining the viability of a republic.
Coorey noted that both Australia's prime minister and opposition leader would need to be republicans in order to carry enough votes for a successful referendum. Tony Abbott, the current opposition leader who is widely expected to become the next prime minister, is a staunch monarchist.


But even if Australia becomes a republic, there is no agreement among republicans about what kind of republic to have. "I think it's going to be a long long time [before Australia becomes a republic]," predicted Coorey. "Australia is a very conservative country; people here don't like change."

More than 700 dead as flooding hits countries of southeast Asia

At least 745 people have died in flooding in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines since July, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific said.


Thailand has been hit the hardest, with 315 people killed in that time frame, officials said.
Monsoon rains across Thailand have affected millions of people in 61 of its provinces, the country's Flood Relief Operation Command reported.
Cambodia, meanwhile, reported 247 dead since July.

Earth Quake shakes Papua New Guinea

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake rattled Papua New Guinea early Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered about 200 miles north-northeast of Port Moresby and had a depth of 28 miles.
No tsunami warning was issued, according to the Tsunami Warning Center.
Papua New Guinea is on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The African dictators warned: 'Your time is up'

Sudanese billionaire and communications mogul Mo Ibrahim has issued a warning to African leaders clinging to power, saying people are no longer prepared to put up with bad governance on the continent.
Ibrahim says the face of Africa has changed and the Arab Spring has shown the world that the younger generation are not afraid to demand change.
"There's a lot of African people who are educated and well informed and that's a better generation than ours and those people wont take nonsense," he said.
"These are the people that went out in Tahrir Square, Tunis and Libya and bred havoc," he added.


The businessman's remarks come as his foundation awards its annual prize for good governance and leadership in Africa.
It has been two years since the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has awarded the accolade, which goes to candidates based on their "exercise of leadership and the performance of their country during their time in office," according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation website.
The committee, made up of former leaders and Nobel Prize winners, said that there had been no worthy candidates in the previous two years.
"They have a strict criteria, this is not a pension, this is a prize for excellence in leadership, it's not easy," said Ibrahim.


Former Cape Verde President, Pedro Verona Pires, who stepped down in August after 10 years in power, was recognized this year.
The group said that the leader had turned the cluster of islands off the West African coast into "a model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity."
The chair of the prize committee, Salim Ahmed Salim, said. "Under his 10 years as president, the nation became only the second African country to graduate from the United Nation's Least Developed category and has won international recognition for its record on human rights and good governance."
The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is one of the world's most valuable individual prizes. Ibrahim made a fortune in the cell phone industry, established the foundation bearing his name in 2006.
Previous winners include Mozambique's former President, Joaquim Chissano and Botswana's President, Festus Mogae.


The $5 million award is paid over 10 years and $200,000 annually for life thereafter. The Foundation will also consider funding good causes supported by the laureate.
Ibrahim says the prize is needed as leaders in African countries can sometimes be tempted to hang on to power for monetary reasons.
He says he had to start the foundation because leaders were not doing the job they were supposed to do.


President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea and Angola's President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos are two of the longest running leaders in Africa. Both have been head of their respective countries for 32 years. While Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has been in power for 31 years since 1980.
The foundation uses an 84-criteria index to grade governance in Africa. The top-governed African nations, according to the index, are Mauritius, Cape Verde, Seychelles, Botswana and South Africa.
But while there may not have been an award in the previous two years, Ibrahim predicts the foundation will be giving out more money in the future.
"I think the quality of leaders coming to Africa now are really improving a lot and what is important in Africa is the rise in civil society," he said.
"The pressure from civil society, I'm sure is going to bring forward and produce more and more wonderful leaders for our future," he continued.
The hope of the foundation is to help the continent move towards greater democracy and peaceful transitions of power.


However, Ibrahim believes that the game is up for leaders who cling to power for 30 to 40-years. His cites Libya's former leader for 41-years, Moammar Gaddafi, as an example.
"The message is clear to all this kind of generation of leadership: gentlemen time is up," he said.
"Please retire, otherwise Tahrir square is coming to your country."

Thailand flooding: Fear makes people stay together

Thailand's rice bowl is now Thailand's nightmare.

The Chao Phraya River delta nourishes the nation's vast rice paddies. But Friday, the river and its many tributaries eyed the capital, Bangkok, like a ferocious animal stalking its prey.
Monsoonal rains have flooded Thailand's plains and now the bursting river threatens to drown Bangkok.
The water has already turned parking lots into marinas, markets into lakes and houses into homes suitable only for fish. It has gushed into houses of the holy -- Buddhist temples stood amid rising water -- and into sanctuaries of the vulnerable.
Fifteen elephants, including seven mothers with babies and a 9-year-old known for its painting skills, are stranded on top of Ayutthaya's Royal Elephant Kraal. The elephants climbed on top of the building last week and are going hungry now that food can only be brought in small quantities on rowing boats. Elephants can swim but the babies might drown in an attempt to escape.


In Bangkok and other deluged cities and towns, the strong carried the feeble on their backs. The young aided the old Everyone helped each other.
It was hard to imagine that last year, Red Shirts battled Yellow Shirts in deadly political street protests that prompted a state of emergency in Thailand and left a nation deeply divided.
Disaster brought them back together this week.
An English Facebook page set up to help foreigners in Thailand saw a frenzy of action Friday.
"Kidney failure patients'd like to get in dialysis process can contact HSRI co. with NE Kidney Medico"
"Free shuttle bus from Dusit Thani hotel to TU DOME available for donation stuffs logistic tomorrow"
"Slippers (foam type) needed for any sizes at Don Muang Evacuation Cent."
"Both lanes of Bangkruy-Sainoi Rd... flooded"


With 283 people dead and another 8 million affected by the flooding, the fears were real in Bangkok.
Workers stuffed sandbags furiously and shored up barriers. Evacuation centers began to fill with people.
Banjong Palim, 43, said he had never seen anything like this in his lifetime. He was forced to flee when his suburban Bangkok home drowned.


Some recalled the devastating 2004 tsunami that wiped out everything with walls of water. And panicked.
Ed White watched the river flow over containment walls in Ayutthaya. He stacked the furniture as high as he could get it in his house in there, and felt lucky it was made of concrete and brick, not wood, like so many traditional Thai homes.
White grew up in Ocean City, Maryland. He was used to hurricanes and the Atlantic's fury. But this was different.
The water was not raging. There weren't torrents.
It just kept inching upward. Slowly, but surely.


At the market where White gets his hair cut, people scurried, spreading rumors born from fear. In two hours, they said, everything would be under water. The flood was coming! The flood was coming!
White moved to Thailand in 2003 to work for a rubber company. Friday, he said he had moved into a second-floor company apartment in Bangkok, confident he would be safe there. Meanwhile, his employer had made a fortress out of the rubber factory, erecting concrete barriers around everything as though it were a war zone.


For many it was a losing battle.
The military helped evacuate them, whisking them away by boat or carrying them through chest-high water.


Just about every day now, rain has come down hard, exacerbating worries. This is already the worst flooding Thailand has seen in decades. Some wondered Friday how much worse it could get.
The government's Flood Relief Centre chief said that Bangkok would be spared. But with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast for the next few days, reassurances Friday were difficult to swallow.