World news
Hong Kong official quits over SARS crisis
Hong Kong Bowing to pressure over a slow, sloppy response to SARS, Hong Kong’s health secretary resigned Wednesday to take blame for the crisis that killed hundreds and caused months of uncertainty and fear in the territory. Dr. Yeoh Eng-kiong became a rare political casualty in a territory where critics charge that top aides of Hong Kong’s leader, Tung Chee-hwa, often avoid being held accountable for problems. Yeoh’s departure might give Tung a boost at a time when Hong Kongers are furious at a recent decision by Beijing ruling out full democracy in the next few years. The anger spilled into the streets last week in a pro-democracy march by several hundred thousand people. Yeoh ran into trouble this week after a legislative report on Monday blamed him for many failures in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome. Dozens of relatives of SARS victims gathered outside the legislature Wednesday to call for Yeoh’s removal.
Costly rebuilding predicted in Haiti
Washington More than $1 billion will probably be needed to rebuild Haiti, the Americas’ poorest country, after its recent political upheaval, a senior Treasury Department official said Wednesday. John Taylor, the department’s undersecretary for international affairs, offered the estimate as he prepared to visit Port-au-Prince Thursday and meet with government representatives to discuss their efforts to establish economic stability in Haiti. Taylor said a donors conference for Haiti reconstruction will be held in Washington on July 20 at the World Bank, which is currently working on a needs assessment for the country. The money, he said, is needed to build roads and schools and improve electric power, among other things. On his trip this week, Taylor also plans to visit the Dominican Republic, which is on the same island as Haiti. He will discuss economic matters with government officials in Santo Domingo, the republic’s capital.
Anti-Indian alliance leader resigns
Srinagar, India The chairman of the main separatist alliance in Indian-controlled Kashmir stepped down Wednesday in an attempt to forge unity among its bitterly divided factions. Abbas Ansari quit as head of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, which has split over holding talks with India over the Himalayan territory’s status. Ansari, 68, was the first member of the Shiite branch of Islam to head the alliance, which comprises nearly two dozen political and religious groups seeking Kashmir’s independence, or its merger with Islamic Pakistan. Most Muslims in Kashmir are Sunnis. “I have stepped down as chairman for the unity of the Hurriyat,” Ansari said Wednesday in a statement. No successor was immediately named.
Part of Paris airport terminal to reopen
Paris France’s busiest airport will reopen the undamaged part of a terminal in which the roof collapsed in May, killing four people, the transport minister said Wednesday. Gilles de Robien said a segment of the three-building 2E terminal at the Charles de Gaulle airport would return to service on July 15. “We can open the terminal that didn’t give way,” he told France-Info radio. In the May 23 disaster, falling glass, steel and masonry killed four travelers — two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese. Three others were injured. A preliminary report by experts said Tuesday that a weakness in the concrete that formed the futuristic terminal’s vaulted roof may have contributed to the collapse. Officials are still unsure exactly what caused it to buckle.
Carter backs Indonesian election
Jakarta, Indonesia Former President Jimmy Carter declared Indonesia’s presidential election a success Wednesday, saying it proved Islam and democracy were compatible. Carter, whose nonprofit Carter Center monitored Monday’s vote, commented as a partial count showed former Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would likely face President Megawati Sukarnoputri in a runoff. Carter described the vote in the world’s most populous Islamic nation as largely peaceful and transparent, adding that his group had found no “pattern of cheating.” Carter also said Indonesia, which became the world’s third-largest democracy after the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998, would help disprove the notion that Islam and free elections do not mix. “This is a vivid demonstration that it’s not a citizen’s religious faith that decides whether they prefer democracy,” he said. “This rejects the frequent statements I hear in America that the Muslim faith is incompatible with democracy. The people of Indonesia have proven this to be a false premise.” With just over half of the 130 million votes counted, Yudhoyono led the field of five candidates with 33.6 percent. Megawati had won 26.3 percent. Election observers said she was expected to hold her lead over Wiranto, a former armed forces commander who goes by just one name, who had 22.1 percent. The runoff for the two top vote getters is set for Sept. 20.