Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
SKorea's opposition ends parliamentary occupation
By HYUNGJIN KIM,Associated Press Writer AP - 12 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea - Opposition lawmakers ended their violent, 12-day siege of South Korea's parliament Tuesday after successfully delaying a key vote on a U.S. free trade deal and other legislation.
Democratic Party legislators had occupied the National Assembly since Dec. 26, fending off security guards who tried to drag them out by force last week in scuffles that left nearly 100 people with minor injuries.
The main opposition party ended its sit-in after the parliament speaker assured it the ruling Grand National Party had abandoned its bid to ram through the bills before the next U.S. president takes office. Hours later, the rival parties announced a compromise: to postpone a ratification vote until after President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20.
With the GNP holding 172 of 299 seats in the National Assembly, the accord is virtually assured of ratification if it reaches the floor for a vote. But President Lee Myung-bak had wanted a quick vote because Obama has hinted he would seek to renegotiate the pact.
South Korea and the U.S. agreed to the landmark accord in 2007 to slash tariffs and other barriers to trade. The countries' legislatures, however, failed to ratify the deal as their farmers and labor groups opposed it.
The deal would be the largest for the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect more than a decade ago.
South Korean opponents says the pact does not protect farmers, laborers and others who will be affected by a surge of imports from the U.S. Delaying the vote gives the rival parties time to come up with a compromise.
But, Kim Jong-hyun of the opposition Democratic Party, said the two sides agreed that the pact will eventually be put to a vote even if the parties fail to reach a compromise.
The deal to buy time ends weeks of deadlock that flared when the GNP unilaterally introduced the trade pact at a parliamentary committee meeting last month and tried to keep opposition out of the room by blocking the doors.
Enraged opposition members used sledgehammers and other construction tools to break in, while GNP members fought back with fire extinguishers.
__
Associated Press Writer Jae-soon Chang contributed to this report.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
SKorea's opposition ends parliamentary occupationAP - 16 minutes ago
Sheikh Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh PM, democracy restoredAFP - 19 minutes ago
Caltex raises pump prices by 4 centsChannel NewsAsia - 33 minutes ago
Japan, China to discuss disputed gas field: officialAFP - 35 minutes ago
Law Minister Shanmugam to attend Indian diaspora conferenceChannel NewsAsia - 43 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
Steve Jobs has "hormone imbalance," to stay on as Apple CEO
Jett Travolta died of 'seizure': Bahamas officials
Pink iguanas discovered on Galapagos Islands
Troops battle Hamas in Gaza cities as Israel spurns truce bids
Milky Way spins faster, has more mass than thought: astronomers
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular