THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
PAGE 3A
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Associated Press
CENTRAL AMERICA
Thousands attend Mass where Pope spoke out on the communist revolution
HAVANA — Pope Benedict XVI demanded greater freedom for the Catholic Church in Cuba during an unusually politicized Mass before hundreds of thousands of people Wednesday in the shrine of the island's communist revolution, and he denounced "fanaticism" that tries to impose its truth on others.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pope Benedict XVI waves from his popmobile as he arrives in Revolution Square to celebrate a Mass in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday March 28.
Benedict's homily was a not-so-subtle biblical jab at Cuba's government before a vast crowd of Cubans in Revolution Plaza, with the country's leadership listening from front-row seats. While the 600,000-capacity plaza was full, many Cubans said they were told to come and some left after registering their presence with their teachers or employers.
In his remarks to the multitude, Benedict issued his strongest denunciation of religious intolerance yet in Cuba, referring to the Biblical account of how people persecuted by the Babylonian king
"preferred to face death by fire rather than betray their conscience and their faith."
He said people find freedom when they seek the truth that Christianity offers.
"On the other hand there are those who wrongly interpret this search for the truth, leading them to irrationality and fanaticism; they close themselves up in 'their truth' and try to impose it on others," he said from the altar in the shadow of Cuba's revolution hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
"It must be said with joy that in Cuba steps have been taken to enable the church to carry out her essential mission
Benedict didn't cite the government by name, but later he urged Cuban authorities to let the church more freely preach its message and educate its young in the faith in schools and universities.
of expressing her faith openly and publicly," he said. "Notetheless this must continue forward" for the good of Cuban society.
The remarks came before Benedict's eagerly anticipated meeting with Fidel Castro, confirmed last night by the revolutionary leader himself.
EUROPE
Satellite launch turns controversial
SEOUL, South Korea North Korea says it aims to estimate crop production and analyze natural resources when it launches a satellite on a long-range rocket next month.
The United States and South Korea view the launch as a cover for testing long-range missile technology.
An unnamed North Korean space technology official said Wednesday that foreign experts and journalists have been invited to show that the satellite has peaceful and scientific purposes.
He also told the official Korean Central News Agency that the satellite weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and will orbit at an altitude
ASSOCIATED PRESS
North Korea has moved a long-range rocket to its northwestern launch site in preparation for a launch next month, South Korean officials said Sunday March 25.
wof 500 kilometers (310 miles).
wof 500 kilometers (310 miles). Pyongyang claims it put a satellite in orbit in 2009. Washington and Seoul say it did not.
MIDDLE EAST
Contact between US and Kabul on hold due to conversations being impractica
KABUL, Afghanistan — A major Afghan militant group is following in the Taliban's footsteps by suspending talks with the United States and the Kabul government, another setback to efforts toward a peaceful resolution to the decade-long war.
The insurgent faction Hezb-i-Islami was abandoning talks because they had produced nothing "practical," said the group's European representative, Qaribur Rahman Saeed. Earlier this month, the Taliban announced it was breaking off dialogue with the U.S.
Part of the U.S.-led coalition's exit strategy is to gradually transfer security responsibility to Afghan forces. Another tack is to pull the Taliban and other militant factions into political discussions with the Afghan government.
Hizb-i-Islami is a radical Islamist militia that controls territory in Afghanistan's northeast and launches attacks against U.S. forces from Pakistan. Its leader, powerful warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is a former Afghan prime minister and one-time U.S. ally who is now listed as a terrorist by Washington.
The U.S. and Afghan governments know that in addition to getting the blessing of Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar, any peace deal would have to be supported by Hekmatyar, who has thousands of fighters and followers primarily in the north and east. Mullah Omar is a bitter rival of Hekmatyar even though both are fighting international troops.
CENTRAL AMERICA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mali's streets flood with coup members after the democratic leader was ousted. The coup rewrote the constitution in hopes for normalcy in the country.
Mali coup hopes for a fresh start after leaders rewrite constitution
BAMAKO, Mali — Several thousand people took to the streets of Mali's capital Wednesday in support of last week's military takeover and a new constitution hastily written by the coup leaders.
A bloc of West African nations suspended Mali's membership and is sending five presidents to Mali to try to "restore constitutional order" a week after soldiers ousted the democratically elected leader of this vast and impoverished country.
The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, is also putting a peacekeeping force on standby but the junta leaders are working hard to give the semblance of normalcy here, and thousands are hoping the junta will stay.
"It's the first time I'm really proud of Mali and of Africa," said Niamoye Toure, a young doctor. "Honestly I'd given up on Mali. It's only now with the military that I've regained some hope."
Toure said the marchers wanted
ECOWAS to recognize the new leadership.
"Capt. Sanogo isn't here to hold onto power, but just to bring some order to the country," she said, referring to coup leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo.
The new constitution was read on state TV late Tuesday night.
The 69-article constitution includes many of the guarantees of the former law, including the guarantees of free speech, liberty of movement and freedom of thought. New measures include the creation of a military-led council headed by Sanogo. It says that the new head of state is simultaneously the head of the army, the head of the government and the head of the judiciary.
The middle and final sections set out the role of the military committee now controlling the country, which calls itself the National Committee for the Reestablishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the State.