TOKYO – Japan agreed today to ease the country’s ban on U.S. and Canadian beef imports, two years after the first case of mad cow disease was discovered in a Washington state herd.
The easing of the ban would allow meat from cows under 21 months old back into the Japanese market, which before the ban had been the most lucrative overseas market for American beef, buying $1.4 billion worth in 2003.
It was not immediately clear when U.S. meat would again appear in Japanese supermarkets and restaurants, but Kyodo News agency reported that approval could allow North American meat back in Japan by the end of the year.
Australia: Race riots erupt
Thousands of drunken white youths attacked police and people they believed were Arab immigrants at a Sydney beach on Sunday, angered by reports that youths of Lebanese descent had assaulted two lifeguards. Young men of Arab descent retaliated in several Sydney suburbs, fighting with police and smashing 40 cars with sticks and bats, police said. Thirty-one people were injured and 28 were arrested in hours of violence.
China: Pre-WTO protest march
About 4,000 anti-globalization activists marched Sunday in the first mass protest against the World Trade Organization’s summit in Hong Kong. The five-day summit begins Tuesday.
Commander in shootings detained
China’s government Sunday announced the detention of a commander whose forces opened fire on villagers protesting land seizures. The government said three people were killed in the Dec. 6 violence over compensation for land in Dongzhou. Witnesses put the death toll as high as 20. The commander’s “wrong actions” were to blame for the deaths, said a statement issued by the government. It did not give his name or say what his actions were.
Pakistan: Wedding ends in fire
A firecracker thrown by a celebrant at a wedding set fire to a bus filled with guests on Sunday, killing at least 40 people in eastern Pakistan, police said. The firecracker exploded under the vehicle’s fuel tank, setting it and the fireworks inside on fire in central Lahore, said a senior police officer.
Afghanistan: Suicide attack hurts 3
A suicide bomber set off explosives near a U.S. and Afghan military convoy in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, killing himself and wounding three civilians, police said. A deputy police chief said there were no casualties in the convoy.
Chile: Runoff appears likely
A Socialist physician once imprisoned by Chile’s former military dictatorship held a commanding lead in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a January runoff with a right-wing rival. Michelle Bachelet had 46 percent of the vote, election officials said after counting 96 percent of the ballots. Her closest rival, Sebastian Pinera, trailed with 25 percent of the vote, according to returns announced by the government.
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