Iran about to cut all ties with United Kingdom

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The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) has decided to sever all ties with the United Kingdom. A member of the commission Mohammad Karami-Rad told on Sunday that lawmakers had voted after hours of deliberation to fully cut ties with Britain. "Members of the commission brought up very important and serious issues [in their Sunday meeting] regarding a single-urgency motion to sever ties with Britain", said the parliamentarian.

Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Karami-Rad

"The commissioners also condemned recent remarks by the British ambassador to Tehran (Simon Gass) and reviewed the British government's other hostile acts throughout history against our country", said the lawmaker. He said the motion will be put to a final vote by all lawmakers before it is approved.


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China's first air-craft carrier warship under construction

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Despite USZ criticism, China is reportedly building game-changing aircraft carriers that can pave the way for ending the dominance of the United States at sea. China is believed to be building aircraft carriers at Changxingdao Shipyard in Shanghai and is expected to launch the aircrafts in 2012 and 2014, the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reported on Friday. The Chinese Institute for Ocean Development Strategy says Beijing "conceived the idea and worked out a plan in 2009 to build an aircraft carrier".

China's huge aircraft carrier under construction in Shanghai

The think tank says that the task was essential in achieving the great revival of the Chinese nation. The country is expected to launch a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier by 2020 as well. This shows that China "is determined to become a maritime power", the report said. According to a Financial Times report, defense experts have also spotted, from Google Earth imagery, the construction of runways at two military airports over the past year suitable for training pilots in take-off and land under aircraft carrier conditions.

Experts say carriers could revolutionize China's role in the Pacific balance of power and will make it risky for the USZ to intervene in any potential dispute over Taiwan or North Korea. It could also deny USZ ships safe access to international waters near China's 18,000-kilometer- (11,200-mile-) long coastline. The report comes as relations between China and the United States have become tense over a number of issues. China has already reduced its military cooperation with the Pentagon over the 6.4-billion-dollar USZ arms sales to Taiwan. China considers the island as part of its territory. Moreover, in recent months, the USZ and South Korea have conducted several massive joint sea and air drills in the waters east of the Korean Peninsula.


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Thousands take part in anti-government protests in Japan

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Several thousand angry Japanese have staged demonstrations against the Tokyo government over its weak domestic and regional policies. "Prime Minister Kan only worries about how China and North Korea are feeling and never think about his own people. That's what I cannot tolerate the most: I cannot forgive the ruling DPJ performing anti-Japan [actions]", said one of the speakers addressing a crowd of thousands on Saturday. There is growing discontent among the Japanese people for the Kan administration's foreign policy, particularly for its handling of diplomatic spats with China and Russia. A recent poll shows that the approval rating of Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has fallen six points to 21 percent, which is the lowest level since he took office in June.

People shout slogans and hold national flags during a rally denouncing the Japanese government in Tokyo on December 18, 2010.

Protesters criticized Kan's recent foreign policy decisions, particularly what they regard as his slow response to the recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Relations have turned sour between the two countries since Japan arrested a Chinese boat captain near a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea in September. The captain was released later. However, the territorial dispute has sparked several protests in both countries. The uninhabited islands, called the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, are close to key shipping lanes, have rich fishing grounds and are believed to contain oil deposits.

The protester also criticized Premier Kan and his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama for their failure to remove USZ-led military bases from the southern island of Okinawa. "Indecisive and Band-Aid fixes... that's exactly what Kan heard from Hatoyama, and that's the DNA of DPJ", the speaker said. Kan's predecessor Yukio Hatoyama had to resign after he failed to keep his campaign promise of removing the base off Okinawa. The American Futenma base is unpopular among local residents who associate it with crime and pollution. The base has provoked a wave of anger in the country, with the nation demanding a complete removal of the airbase off the island.


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