THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
PAGE 3
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Associated Press
EUROPE
Parties form alliance for fall election
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine's two biggest pro-Western opposition parties announced Monday they will be joining forces in the fall parliamentary election in order to challenge President Viktor Yanukovych's grip on power.
The parties led by jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former parliament speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk said they will work together to reverse the democratic rollback that took place since Yanukovych came to power two years ago.
The alliance marks an attempt to break with years of infighting within the pro-Western camp that allowed the pro-Russia Yanukovych, whose fraud-tainted election victory was annulled in the 2004 Orange Revolution street protests, to make
a comeback in the 2010 presidential election.
"We will form a democratic majority in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), will limit Yanukovych's unlimited power and return the power to the Ukrainian people," Tymoshenko, 51, and Yatsenyuk, 37, who both ran against Yanukovych on a pro-Western platform, said in a joint statement. "There is no time to lose, it's time to fight and win together!"
Experts and opposition activists hailed the union with cautious optimism, saying it was high time that opposition leaders sacrificed their personal ambitions and united. But they noted that the union was fragile and did not include two other key opposition parties.
ASIA
North Korea threatens military action
PYONGYANG. North Korea
PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea's military warned people on Monday of imminent "special actions" that would reduce South Korea's conservative government to ashes within minutes, sharply escalating the rhetoric against its southern rival.
The threat from the North's military leadership comes amid concerns that North Korea may be plotting another provocation in the wake of an unsuccessful rocket launch condemned by the U.N. Security Council as a violation of a ban against missile activity.
North Korea characterized the April 13 rocket launch as a failed bid to send a satellite into space — not a disguised test of missile technology
but then followed up two days later by unveiling a new long-range missile at a military birthday parade for late President Kim Il Sung.
There are new concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test as it did after rocket launches in 2006 and 2009. South Korean intelligence officials say recent satellite images show the North has been digging a new tunnel in what could be preparation for a third atomic test.
"Nuclear weapons are not the monopoly of the United States," Lt. Col. Nam Dong Ho said on Monday on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone, saying North Korea needs atomic weapons to defend itself against the threat of attack from the U.S.
AFRICA
Two killed and nine injured in Sudanese bomb attack on South Sudan market
RUBKONA, South Sudan — Sudanese warplanes bombed a market and an oil field in South Sudan on Monday, killing at least two people after Sudanese ground forces had reportedly crossed into South Sudan with tanks and artillery, elevating the risk of all-out war between the two old enemies.
The international community urged Sudan and South Sudan to talk out their disputes, which include arguments over where the border lies and over ownership of oil resources.
But Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir vowed Monday to press ahead with his military campaign until all southern troops or affiliated forces are chased out of the north.
The bombs fell from two MiG 29 jets onto Rubkona's market, turning stalls where food and other household items are sold into fiery heaps of twisted metal.
South Sudan military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said two were killed in that attack and nine wounded.
Sudanese bombs fell onto Rubkona's market in South Sudan on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring nine. The attack elevates the risk of all-out war between Sudan and South Sudan.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFRICA
Egyptian authorities deny permit for election-monitoring, American nonprofit
CAIRO — Egyptian authorities have denied permission to eight American nonprofit groups to operate locally, including a center headed by former President Jimmy Carter that monitors elections, a ministry official said Monday.
The move to deny permission to The Carter Center and others comes only a month ahead of Egypt's first presidential elections since the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak last year. The rejection of Carter's organization, which tries to ensure free
and fair elections by observing votes around the world, raises doubts about whether Egypt's crucial ballot will be transparent.
The licenses were denied because the groups' activities "breach the country's sovereignty," the Social Affairs Ministry official said. He also warned that if any of the groups attempt to operate without permits they will be penalized in accordance with the law, which makes it unlikely that The Carter Center would be allowed to observe the upcoming vote.
Egypt's military rulers allowed The Carter Center to have 40 people observe the multistage parliamentary elections that ran November to February. The government also allowed local groups to observe the elections, and had judges monitoring in polling stations throughout the country.
The Carter Center said the vote was generally fair.
Military rulers have come under criticism for going after rights groups and civil society organizations in recent months, specifically ones with
American ties.
A recent investigation into alleged violations by U.S. democracy groups operating in Egypt led to the worst diplomatic row between Cairo and Washington in decades. American employees were accused of using illegally obtained funds to promote activities that undermined stability.
The diplomatic row eventually cooled when they were allowed to leave Egypt after intense U.S. efforts and pressure. But the case against the NGOs is ongoing.
STATE
Redistricting arguments may delay Kansas primary election
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach publicly warned legislators Monday that a potential constitutional crisis is brewing because the state's political boundaries haven't been adjusted yet, but he was wary of a proposal to postpone the state's primary election.
Kobach, a Republican and Kansas' chief elections official, said he worries that some members of the GOP-controlled Legislature believe that the Kansas Supreme Court can redraw legislative districts if lawmakers fail to do so.
But the Kansas Constitution says only that the high court reviews proposals approved by legislators and determines whether they are valid or whether lawmakers must
try again.
A bitter split among conservative and moderate Republicans has prevented the Senate from approving legislation that redraws members' districts. The House has approved a bipartisan plan for adjusting state representatives' 'districts', but it has stalled in the Senate. Both chambers have approved a congressional redistricting plan and killed the other chamber's proposal.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt, also a Republican, already has warned legislators and GOP Gov. Sam Brownback that the state may have to delay its primary election if redistricting issues aren't resolved quickly. He said the state also may face legal costs if residents sue because there's no agreement on new congressional districts.
Legislators return Wednesday from their annual spring break, and the session wrap-up could last until mid-May. But Kobach said problems will arise if new district boundaries aren't approved by May 10, which is why he held a news conference — to "sound the alarm bell."
"The clock is ticking, and they have to act quickly when they come back into session," he said. "This is a real potential for crisis here."
Legislators must redraw their districts and the state's four congressional districts to account for shifts in population over the past decade.
Kansas law says that if they don't complete redistricting by May 10, the candidate filing deadline will be postponed from June 1 to June 11.
The University of Kansas University Theatre presents the Award-winning Musical
Book by George Turtlh Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Based on the Original Play by George Kauffman & Moss Hart
7:30 p.m. April 20, 21, 27, 28, 2012 2:30 p.m. April 22 & 29, 2012
Reserved seat tickets are on sale in the KU ticket offices; University Theatre, 846-3892; Lied Center, 846-ARTS, and online at www.kutheatre.com. Tickets are $20 for the public, $19 for senior citizens and KU faculty and staff, and $10 for all students. All major credit cards are accepted. The University Theatre is partially funded by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee. The University Theatre's 2011-2012 season is sponsored by the KU Credit Union.
Crafton-Prever Theatre
KU UNIVERSITY
THEATRE
STUDENT
SENATE
THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA
KU CREDIT UNION
A DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE SURVEY