U.S. sailor accused of murder in Japan
Tokyo A U.S. sailor was arrested Saturday on a murder charge for the killing of a Japanese woman, a Japanese police official said.
The 21-year-old sailor was arrested after he was transferred to police from the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo.
Police said the sailor admitted killing 56-year-old Yoshie Sato, who was found beaten and unconscious in Yokosuka on Tuesday and later died of internal bleeding. The sailor, who has not been identified, was based on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and has been in Japan since May 2004.
The case risks further inflaming local opposition to plans to build an American military airstrip in the southern island of Okinawa and base a U.S. nuclear-powered warship at Yokosuka for the first time.
In 1995, uproar over the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa triggered massive protests and led to the relocation of an air base to a less densely populated part of the island.
Reformed Christians meet with Pope
Vatican City Pope Benedict XVI expressed hope Saturday for continued dialogue among all Christians that could surmount the “tragic divisions” that arose after the rise of Protestantism in the 16th century.
The pontiff’s remarks were directed to representatives of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, whom he received in an audience. The Geneva-based group describes itself as a fellowship of 75 million Reformed Christians in 218 churches in 107 countries, with roots in the 16th-century Reformation led by John Calvin and others.
Benedict noted that representatives had attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April and, days later, Benedict’s inauguration.
“In these signs of mutual respect and friendship I am pleased to see a providential fruit of the fraternal dialogue and cooperation undertaken in the past four decades, and a token of sure hope for the future,” said Benedict, who has made uniting all Christians a priority of his pontificate.
Australian swimmer killed in shark attack
Sydney, Australia A 21-year-old woman died Saturday after a shark attack off eastern Australia, officials said.
The shark mauled the woman, whose identity was not released, while she was swimming near North Stradbroke Island, east of the Queensland state capital of Brisbane.
A camper on a nearby beach said the woman had been scuba diving in waist-deep water at the time of the attack. It was not immediately known what type of shark attacked the woman.
Britain closes embassy in Jordan as precaution
London Britain indefinitely closed its embassy in Jordan on Saturday because of the danger of a terrorist attack, the Foreign Office said.
A spokesman for the office would not comment on whether there had been a specific threat against the embassy in Amman, saying only that the closure was prompted by the security situation in Jordan.
The Foreign Office also updated its advice for Britons visiting the Middle Eastern country to say that “terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks against Westerners and places frequented by Westerners.”