Pakistan condemns Trump for bombing Iran a day after recommending him for a Nobel Peace Prize
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India.
Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April. The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the U.S., resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Okinawa marks 80 years since end of one of harshest WWII battles with pledge to share tragic history
TOKYO (AP) — Okinawa marked the 80th anniversary of the end of one of the harshest battles of World War II fought on the southern island. With global tensions escalating, its governor said on Monday it is the Okinawan 'mission' to keep telling the tragic history and its impact today. The Battle of Okinawa killed a quarter of the island's population, leading to a 27-year U.S. occupation and a heavy American troop presence to date. Monday's memorial comes one day after U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, adding to a sense of uncertainty on the island about the heavy American military presence and in its remote islands, already worried about getting embroiled in a potential conflict in Taiwan. Gov. Denny Tamaki, noting the escalating global conflicts and nuclear threats, made a resolve to contribute to global peace studies, disarmament and the preservation of war remains. 'It is our mission, as those living in the present, to preserve and pass on the reality and lessons to future generations.' Fierce battle and civilian deaths U.S. troops landed on the main Okinawa island on April 1, 1945, beginning a battle in their push toward mainland Japan. The Battle of Okinawa lasted nearly three months, killing some 200,000 people — about 12,000 Americans and more than 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians including students and victims forced into mass suicides by Japan's military. Okinawa was sacrificed by Japan's Imperial Army to defend the mainland, historians say. The island group remained under U.S. occupation until its reversion in 1972, two decades longer than most of Japan. Monday's memorial was held at the Mabuni Hill in Itoman City, where the remains of most of the war dead reside. Remembering the tragedy Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was in a hot seat when he attended Monday's ceremony. Weeks earlier, one of his ruling party lawmakers Shoji Nishida, known for whitewashing Japan's wartime atrocities, denounced an inscription on a famous cenotaph dedicated to students as 'rewriting history' by portraying the Japanese army as having caused their deaths, while Americans liberated Okinawa. Nishida also called Okinawa's history education 'a mess.' His remark triggered an uproar in Okinawa, forcing Ishiba days later to apologize to the island's governor, who had criticized the remark as outrageous and distorting history. The Himeyuri Cenotaph commemorates student nurses who were abandoned near the end of the battle and killed, some in group suicides with teachers. Japan's wartime military told the people never to surrender to the enemy, or die. Nishida's remarks add to concerns about the whitewashing of Japan's embarrassing wartime past as memories of the tragedy fade and ignorance about the suffering grows. Ishiba, at Monday's memorial, said Japan's peace and prosperity is built on the sacrifices of Okinawa's history of hardship and that it is the government's responsibility to 'devote ourselves to achieve a peaceful and prosperous Okinawa.' Postwar years and growing fear Okinawa remained under U.S. occupation from 1945 until the 1972 reversion to Japan. The U.S. military maintains a heavy presence there due to Okinawa's strategic importance for security in the Pacific. Their presence serves not only to help defend Japan but also for missions elsewhere, including in the South China Sea and the Middle East. Private properties were confiscated to build U.S. bases, and the base-dependent economy has hampered the growth of local industry. Fear of a Taiwan conflict rekindles bitter memories of the Battle of Okinawa. Historians and many residents say Okinawa was used as a pawn to save mainland Japan. There are also ancient tensions between Okinawa and the Japanese mainland, which annexed the islands, formerly the independent kingdom of the Ryukus, in 1879. Burden of history Okinawa remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Even 53 years after its reversion to Japan, Okinawa is burdened with the heavy U.S. presence and faces noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops, the governor said. Nearly 2,000 tons of unexploded U.S. bombs remain in Okinawa, with some regularly dug up. A recent explosion at a storage site at a U.S. military base caused minor injuries to four Japanese soldiers. Remains of hundreds of war dead are still unrecovered on Okinawa, as the government's search and identification effort is slow to make progress.
Ottawa Citizen
an hour ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: AI could radically alter bilingualism training in the public service
Article content So, some seven country leaders plus the EC leader met in a nice place in Alberta, a tough job for Mark Carney. He wisely invited a few more leaders to try to get a bit more balance in this group where five of the eight guests come from western Europe, an area that has lagged economically for more than a decade and does not have a common foreign policy. Article content At present, their economies are barely equivalent to that of China who is not invited. Article content It is no wonder that Donald Trump does not pay much attention to that group since he does not care too much about western Europe. In fact, nobody really does except the media and some traditional protesters. This group now is mostly a pleasant outing for some European leaders, with Japan tagging along Article content And what did they do? They could not deal with the major conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Israel-Iran and Israel-Palestinians, because the leaders involved in these conflicts were not there (apart from Volodymyr Zelenskyy who usually come to beg for more money and arms). So, the European leaders could only demonstrate their weaknesses by once again using 'strong language' and offering 'unwavering support.' Article content Article content The group did not achieve results in the trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world either, because most of the rest of the world was not there and these trade issues are complex. Article content In contrast to his predecessor, Carney handled this social event smoothly and managed to get along with Trump, no mean task. This was the best that could be expected from a group clearly past its prime. Article content People who criticize inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 fail to understand the purpose of diplomacy. Article content Canada does not need diplomatic relations to deal with friendly countries. The prime ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom, for example, can phone or visit each other any time, discuss how to advance shared interests and any problems, then hand the issues over to their public servants. Article content Article content Diplomacy was developed so that the governments of countries that have real differences, that may be at war or drifting towards war, can communicate with each other frequently and safely. Then they can listen to each other, get a good understanding of the others' views instead of relying on rumours and the views of those who want confrontation, appreciate the dangers and seek solutions. Article content 'Punishing' a foreign government by refusing to talk to its leaders or expelling its ambassadors may satisfy some citizens, but our government was right to invite Modi to the G7, to have discussions with him, to keep most of them secret, and to restore high-level diplomatic relations. All it took was common sense, courage, and a phone call.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Freed from prison, Belarusian dissident Tsikhanouski tells AP about 5 years in solitary confinement
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Siarhei Tsikhanouski is almost unrecognizable. Belarus' key opposition figure, imprisoned in 2020 and unexpectedly released on Saturday, once weighed 135 kilograms (298 pounds) at 1.92 meters (nearly 6'4') tall, but now is at just 79 kilos (174 pounds). On Saturday, Tsikhnaouski was freed alongside 13 other prisoners and brought to Vilnius, the capital of neighboring Lithuania, where he was reunited with his wife, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and their children. Speaking to The Associated Press the day after, Tsikhanouski tries to smile and joke, but struggles to hold back heavy sighs recalling what he endured behind bars.
