Bhutto Dies in Bomb Attack

Benazir Bhutto, the first elected female leader of a Muslim state, was on Thursday killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. The death of Ms Bhutto, 54, who had served as Pakistan's prime minister from 1988-90 and again from 1993-96, raised the spectre of instability and violence in the nuclear-armed Muslim nation.

Ms Bhutto – who returned to Pakistan in October after eight years of exile – had hoped to stage another political comeback in the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 8. The leader of the Pakistan People's party, the former prime minister had recently been negotiating the terms of a power-sharing agreement with President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Musharraf, a political rival of Ms Bhutto's who overthrew then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999, quickly condemned the attack. “This cruelty is the work of those terrorists with whom we are fighting,” Mr Musharraf said in a brief televised address.

“The biggest threat to Pakistan and this nation is from these terrorists. I seek unity and support from the nation . . . we will not sit and rest until we get rid of these terrorists, root them out.”

Mr Sharif, another former prime minister hoping to stage a return to power after a lengthy exile – and another rival of Ms Bhutto's – called the assassination a “tragedy” and appeared to blame Mr Musharraf for the security lapse. “Benazir Bhutto was also my sister, and I will be with you to take the revenge for her death,” Mr Sharif said.

The shock of the assassination reverberated strongly elsewhere in the region. Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, who had met Ms Bhutto hours before her assassination, condemned her killing. “I met with her this morning [and] I found her to be a very, very brave woman, with a clear vision for her own country, for Afghanistan, and for the region, the vision of democracy and prosperity and peace,” Mr Karzai said. “I am deeply sorry, deeply pained, this brave sister of ours, brave daughter of the Muslim world is no longer with us.”

“The subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country,” said Manmohan Singh, prime minister of India, Pakistan's neighbour and nuclear rival. India also issued a nationwide alert to all of the country's states to remain vigilant following the assassination.

Leaders around the world echoed Mr Karzai and Mr Singh. Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, called the day's events “a tragic hour for Pakistan” and referred to Ms Bhutto's attackers as “cowards”.

In Crawford, Texas, President George W. Bush said the US strongly condemned “this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistani democracy”.

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Japanese Primier's Sudden Resignation

I thought the news that Shinzo Abe as Japanese 90th Prime Minister will step down suddenly right after Apec submmit Meeting in Australia had  never occured to everyone who is keen to Japanese politics.    I by myself was so surprised to this news because Abe as  current Prime Minister of Japan is very popular with majority of Chinese for he since his inception of taking office last August actively improve Sino-Japan diplamatic relation that was so tdespressing  during last Primier Minister's tenure. 

Last weekend,  it is reported that Abe has been sent into hospital to have treatment for his exhaustion and intestinal malady which may explain his sudden resignation as prime minister reasonably and also presumably. Meanwhile Japan Island also release the news that new prime minister will be elected in this  September among two candiates: Taro Aso who is current secretary-general of the Liberal Democracy Party and an ally of Mr Abe most obvious choice to replace him, another one: Yaso Fukuda  a semi-retired party elder. Whoever will be elected as PM of Japan, we hope he will keep attaching importance to Sino-Japan friend ties in future.

In a Feb.14 article published in the People's Daily, Zhou Hanhua, a professor of law with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a key figure in the drafting process, finally offered a sneak peak at the legislation, one more tantalizing sign the ordinance is very close. First of all, said Mr. Zhou, the legislation would transform the present norm of "one-side" discloure and focus instead on "applicants" rights so that people would have the right to obtain government information."

Secondly, the statute would require not only transparancy in routine administrative procedures but demand that governments release a "substantial" portion of the information in their hands. The legislation would establish four types of information release, including application from citizens, which Mr. Zhou refered to as "the blazing of a new trail" It would also specify various channels of "recourse" in the event governments refused to make information available. These would include administrative reconsideration and administrative litigation. Overall, Mr. Zhou says the proposed ordinance will provide "important protection in case the government does not release information through other means." These measures would, at least in particular, make a historica shift from China's previous efforts on access to government information. 

On Jan.17 in this year(2007) Premier Wen's approval,in principle,of a draft nationa ordinance of openness of govermental service information caused top Chinese leader to herald the daybreak of transparent goverance. Once in force the statute would establish a national legal mandate for more transparent governance and pave the way for a more potent law on disclosure. Officials have characterised the ordiance as a key step in building of a sunshine government, promising release as a rule at all level of the country's vast bureaucracy. The editor of Financial Magazine,a very influencial in financial line, Hu shuli wrote, a year ago of the proposed ordinance that "when looking back again after thousands of years, China will see a new milestone in their history."

But the tought question still remain about exactly how this will happen in this society. For the ordinance to be truely effective. Chinese top leaders will have to take tough action to empower and protect news midiea across the country.However, what role Chinese midea played for long time is so clear, but now their future playing-role will make the wise wander. And given the growing pressure media have faced under Hu Jintao's government.

Up to now, the whole process has progressed in a fog society. China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress, has been working on this ordinance-offically known as the Government information Relaease Ordinance since March of 2006. The draft was consistently held up by internal squabbles between top officials who determined to make it happen, and local offical and propaganda ministers who worried to do that could give too much power to citizens and media. Political sentivities over the lagislation have keep it carefully  under controle even since Mr. Wen's approval. The details of the text have remained a mystery, and the public has been denied an opportunity to comment.(Part I)

The round six party talk resume on this Wednesday in Beijing. The round talks aims at checking out the implementation of 2.13 Agreements that was made in last round talk in this year. But the major content of next round talk will focus on implementing the dismantlement of DPRK's neclear facilitiesand demanding that DPRK has to declare for tits neclear plan in full scale.

The head of North Korea's delegation, the vice Foreign Minister King. Ku kua has not shown any comments on this talk after arrival in Beijing. But before having left for Beijing from Pyongyang, he said that his country will spare no effort to make the six party talk that will hold in Beijing in coming day successful. The agreement of first round talk has been implemented,so it has great necessity to carry out the one of second round talk. The purpose of second round talks and the order of obligations and activities in this process of this round talk will be discussed mainly on this delegacy meeting.