Japan warns China over disputed oil and gas reserves

Japan has warned China that it will take action if Beijing starts gas production in a disputed field in the East China Sea. This comes despite an agreement between the two countries to resolve the dispute by jointly developing gas fields. Japan now accuses China of drilling for gas in violation of the agreement. A Japanese foreign ministry spokesperson says the foreign minister Katsuya Okada has warned his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at a meeting in Tokyo on Sunday that Japan could take a counter-action. But no further details have been released. It's estimated that there are net reserves in the disputed fields of 92 million barrels of oil equivalent, but there may also be larger hidden reserves.

Pakistani Taliban leader 'alive'

The Pakistani Taliban has released an audiotape which purportedly carries the voice of Hakimullah Mehsud, its leader, after rumours emerged that he had been killed in a suspected US missile attack earlier this week. On the tape released on Saturday, the man who said that he was Mehsud said he had not been present when 18 others were killed in the North Waziristan raid. "Today, on the 16th of January, I am saying it again - I am alive, I am OK, I am not injured ... when the drone strike took place, I was not present in the area at that time," the voice on the recording said. "This is propaganda of the kafirs [unbelievers]. They want to weaken us through this propaganda."

Spanish Lawmaker: FBI Used My Photo for 'New' Usama Wanted Poster

A Spanish lawmaker was horrified to find out the FBI used his photograph as part of a digitally enhanced image showing what Usama bin Laden might look like today, he said Saturday, calling into question the crime-fighting agency's credibility in battling terrorism. Gaspar Llamazares of the United Left party said he would no longer feel safe traveling to the United States after his hair and facial wrinkles were taken from the Internet and appeared on a wanted poster updating the U.S. government's 1998 photo of the Al Qaeda leader. "I was surprised and angered because it's the most shameless use of a real person to make up the image of a terrorist," Llamazares said at a news conference Saturday. "It's almost like out of a comedy if it didn't deal with matters as serious as bin Laden and citizens' security." The FBI said in a statement Saturday that it was aware of the similarities between their age-progressed image "and that of an existing photograph of a Spanish public official." "The forensic artist was unable to find suitable features among the reference photographs and obtained those features, in part, from a photograph he found on the Internet," the statement sent to The Associated Press said. The photo appeared on a U.S. State Department Web site rewardsforjustice.net, where a reward of up to $25 million is offered for bin Laden, wanted in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. The FBI said the photo of bin Laden will be removed from the Web site. Llamazares said he planned to ask the U.S. government for an explanation and reserved the right to take legal action. The State Department told a reporter to call back Tuesday after the U.S. federal Martin Luther King Day holiday on Monday. Llamazares said he couldn't believe it when he was first told about the similarity, but he quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. The 52-year-old politician said he would not feel safe traveling in the U.S. now, because many airports use biometrics technology that compares the physical characteristics of travelers to passport or other photographs. "I have no similarity, physically or ideologically, to the terrorist bin Laden," he said.

South Waziristan:Drone strike claims 15 lives in Shaktoi

At least 15 people were killed when a US drone hit a suspected militants’ hideout in Shaktoi, South Waziristan on Sunday. According to sources, the US drone fired three missiles at a house in Shaktoi, killing 15 people. Rise in toll is also feared, sources added. Many drone strikes have been carried out in the abovementioned area in the last days.

Haiti: Up to 200,000 feared dead

Up to 200,000 people are feared dead as a result of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that has destroyed much of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, officials in the Caribbean country say. Lorries have been trying to collect the bodies that have been visible on the streets across Port-au-Prince for burial in mass graves outside the city. "We have already collected around 50,000 dead bodies," Paul Antoine Bien-Aime, Haiti's interior minister, told the Reuters news agency. "We anticipate there will be between 100,00 and 200,000 dead in total, although we will never know the exact number." If the casualty figures are accurate, Tuesday's quake would be one of the 10 deadliest on record. About 40,000 bodies have already been buried, while the bodies of another 2,000 victims have been incinerated at one of Port-au-Prince's rubbish dumps. Thousands more people are believed to be under the rubble of the buildings that were toppled in the quake. Alex Larsen, the country's health minister, said that the devastation was such that three-quarters of Port-au-Prince would have to be rebuilt.