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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

World in brief: Pakistani clerics, scholars condemn militants

Pakistani religious leaders and scholars Tuesday issued a strong denunciation of the tactics of Taliban militants, providing what could be a major boost to the country’s U.S.-backed battle against Islamic extremism.

The high-profile convention of clerics in the Pakistani capital was the second in three days to condemn suicide attacks and beheadings, two of the Taliban’s favored tactics, as “haram,” or contrary to Islam.

Both conventions also supported the Pakistani military offensive against Taliban in Swat and two adjoining districts, although almost all the clerics share the militants’ goal of establishing Islamic law in Pakistan.

Pakistani public opinion has turned against religious extremists over the past few weeks, and if that shift is durable, it could prove to be a significant setback to the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies, not just in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and elsewhere in the Islamic world.

Tokyo

Japan GDP falls at record pace

Japan’s economy contracted at the fastest pace since 1955 as exports plunged and companies slashed production.

Japan’s real gross domestic product, or the total value of the nation’s goods and services, shrank at an annual pace of 15.2 percent in the January-March period, the government said today.

The result represents the steepest decline since Japan began compiling GDP statistics more than five decades ago. It also marks the fourth straight quarter of decline after the GDP fell 12.1 percent in the October-December period.

On a quarterly basis, GDP fell 4.0 percent from the previous three-month period, according to the Cabinet Office’s preliminary data.

The world’s second-biggest economy relied heavily on the rest of the world to buy its cars and gadgets to drive economic growth. Like the rest of Asia, it has been pummeled by the unprecedented collapse in global demand triggered last year by the U.S. financial crisis.

Japan’s exports decreased a record 26 percent in the fourth quarter from the third quarter.

Ramallah, West Bank

Abbas reappoints prime minister

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reappointed his Western-backed prime minister Tuesday, a move that aims to shore up Abbas’ stature in the United States but dims the chances of reuniting the Palestinian territories and rebuilding the Gaza Strip.

By swearing in Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and 19 other Cabinet ministers, Abbas moved to end weeks of disarray in his West Bank-based administration and distance it further from Hamas’ rival government in Gaza before he meets in Washington next week with President Barack Obama.

The Palestinian factional rift has complicated efforts to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. Obama, trying to revive peace talks, met in Washington on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From wire reports