Report: Japan has nuclear interest
The Japanese government recently looked into the possibility of developing a nuclear warhead, a news report said today, citing an internal government document.
The Japanese daily Sankei reported that experts at several government organizations concluded it would take at least three to five years to make a prototype weapon.
The experts also estimated that the project would cost about $1.68 billion to $2.52 billion and require the efforts of several hundred engineers, according to Sankei.
JERUSALEM
Olmert may free some prisoners
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday indicated he might release some Palestinian prisoners in the coming days, associates said, softening his long-standing opposition to such a gesture and saying it was “time to show flexibility and generosity.”
Olmert has repeatedly rejected a prisoner release until a captured Israeli soldier is released safely by the Palestinian militants holding him. But after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Olmert urged his Cabinet to reconsider its attitude toward releasing some of the estimated 8,000 Palestinian prisoners in custody.
“It could be that this opinion is different from what has been said in earlier government meetings, but this is my opinion,” he said.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia
Flooding kills at least 94
At least 94 people were killed and dozens left missing by floods in Indonesia and Malaysia, officials said. Looting broke out in areas of Malaysia abandoned because of rising waters.
An aerial view from an aid flight over the worst-hit region on Indonesia’s Sumatra island showed many houses submerged, while only the roofs of others were visible. Some families were trapped on the roofs of their homes.
More than 150,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in both countries.
LONDON
Chunnel reported as terror target
Islamic militants want to attack the Channel Tunnel between England and France during the holiday season, a British newspaper said Sunday, citing French and U.S. security sources.
The Observer said the French foreign intelligence service, DGSE, warned the French government of the threat in a Dec. 19 report after a tip-off from the CIA.
The newspaper cited unidentified French officials as saying the plot was being directed from Pakistan and involved militants in western Europe, possibly Britons of Pakistani descent.
It said U.S. officials, also quoted anonymously, described the threat as “sky high” for the tunnel.
ROME
Man arrested in ex-spy death probe
An Italian who met with an ex-KGB agent the day the Russian fell ill from radiation poisoning was arrested on Sunday, the man’s father said.
Mario Scaramella was arrested in Naples after returning from London. Rome prosecutors have accused him of arms trafficking and slander, and he was being taken to Rome, said his father, Amedeo Scaramella.
Scaramella met with Alexander Litvinenko at a London sushi bar on Nov. 1, the day the former KGB agent fell ill. Litvinenko died of poisoning from radioactive polonium-210 on Nov. 23.