Japan executes first three prisoners since 2010

Japan has hanged three death row inmates in its first executions since July 2010.

Reports said the unnamed prisoners, hanged in separate prisons, had all been convicted of multiple murders.
Japan is one of the few advanced industrialised nations to retain the death penalty. It is usually reserved for multiple murders. Though the majority support the death penalty, rights groups say Japan's death row is particularly harsh.
"Today, three executions were carried out," Justice Minister Toshio Ogawa said. "I have carried out my duty as a justice minister as stipulated by law."
There are currently more than 100 people on death row, including Shoko Asahara, the mastermind behind the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway. No executions were carried out in 2011.

Official figures in Japan as of 2011 put support for capital punishment at over 80%.  
But rights groups like Amnesty International have called for it to be abolished, saying the condemned have few visits, little exercise and are forced to spend almost all of their time sitting down in their cells.

Sometimes held for decades, they are not warned in advance of when they will be put to death, meaning they fear every day is their last, the BBC's Roland Buerk reports.
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Worlds Tiniest Puppy

Beyonce, a Dachshund mix female puppy, is seen here being hand fed in this March 10, 2012 handout photo. Beyonce, who weighed just 1 ounce and could fit into a teaspoon when found, could be the world's smallest dog, according to animal rescuers in Northern California who found her abandoned in San Bernardino, California. The rescuers have submitted an application to Guinness World Records for Beyonce to be considered the world's smallest dog. ...

the world’s most dangerous border
Korean Demilitarized Zone, a 250-mile long thin sliver of land that separates North and South Korea, is one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Soldiers from both the nations bristle at the sight of each other: the air is so thick with tension one can almost touch it. Battle-ready and trigger-happy, the heavily armed troops are primed to go into battle at the drop of a hat even as nuclear-powered North bares its fangs at South even as the latter hosts the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

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2 Israeli Leaders Make the Iran Issue Their Own

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have turned into the odd couple of Israeli politics in whose hands sits the prospect of an attack on Iran. From opposite political traditions with distinct experiences and worldviews, the two have forged a tight bond, often excluding the rest of the Israeli leadership.
For Mr. Netanyahu, an Iranian nuclear weapon would be the 21st-century equivalent of the Nazi war machine and the Spanish Inquisition — the latest attempt to destroy the Jews. Preventing that is the mission of his life. For Mr. Barak, who spurns talk of a second Holocaust and fear for Israel’s existence, it is a challenge about strategy: “zones of immunity” and “red lines,” the operational details of an assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“All leaders have kitchen cabinets, but Netanyahu and Barak have established a kitchenette of two,” remarked Nahum Barnea, a columnist for the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, in an interview. “They haven’t discussed Iran with the rest of the government in weeks and have convinced themselves there is only one way to deal with Iran — their way.”

A top Israeli official who works closely with both leaders and spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the cabinet had not talked lately about Iran, but noted that detailed and long-standing preparation had gone into the possibility of a military strike. Of the two men, he said: “One views himself as a savior, the other lives for a good operation. They’re a strange pair who have come to appreciate each other. Together they control this issue.”

Mr. Netanyahu is the leader of the right-wing Likud Party and grew up in the revisionist Zionist tradition of maximizing territory, standing up aggressively to Israel’s opponents and rejecting the quasi socialism of David Ben-Gurion, the founding prime minister. Mr. Barak grew up on a collective farm deep within the heart of Labor Zionism, and after a long and decorated military career became chairman of the Labor Party. He served briefly as prime minister before losing popular support and an election to Ariel Sharon in 2001.

“On the surface they appear very different,” commented Daniel Ben-Simon, a left-leaning Labor Party member of Parliament who worked with Mr. Barak. “Netanyahu cannot disconnect Israel from the Holocaust. He sees himself as the prime minister of the Jewish people. Barak is the ultimate Israeli, the prince of Zionism. Many thought Barak would rein in Netanyahu on Iran. Instead he joined with him into a two-man show.”

While many here fear a catastrophe if Israel strikes at Iran, Mr. Barak and Mr. Netanyahu increasingly argue that there may be no other option. Their view is that given a choice between an Iran with nuclear weapons — which they say could use them against Israel directly or through proxies, as well as spur a regional arms race — and the consequences of an attack on Iran before it can go nuclear, the latter is far preferable. There will be a counterattack, they say; people will lose their lives and property will be destroyed. But they say it is the lesser of two evils.       

Chocolate 'may help keep people slim'

People who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner, new research suggests.

The findings come from a study of nearly 1,000 US people that looked at diet, calorie intake and body mass index (BMI) - a measure of obesity.
It found those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.

Even though chocolate is loaded with calories, it contains ingredients that may favour weight loss rather than fat synthesis, scientists believe.
Despite boosting calorie intake, regular chocolate consumption was related to lower BMI in the study, which is published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The link remained even when other factors, like how much exercise individuals did, were taken into account.
And it appears it is how often you eat chocolate that is important, rather than how much of it you eat. The study found no link with quantity consumed.
According to the researchers, there is only one chance in a hundred that their findings could be explained by chance alone.
Lead author Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said: "Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight."
This is not the first time scientists have suggested that chocolate may be healthy for us.
Other studies have claimed chocolate may be good for the heart.

Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favourable changes in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.
And chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, does contain antioxidants which can help to mop up harmful free radicals - unstable chemicals that can damage our cells.

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Sudan and South Sudan in fierce oil border clashes

Clashes have broken out in oil-rich border areas between Sudan and South Sudan in what has been called the biggest confrontation since the countries split last July.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir said his forces seized Heglig, a key oil field partially claimed by both sides.
Sudan state radio says President Omar al-Bashir has put off next week's visit to South Sudan for a summit.
The countries fought a long civil war before the South seceded from Sudan.
The nations disagree over several issues, of which the biggest is oil.
Mr Bashir had been due to hold talks with Mr Kiir at the summit, which had been billed as sign of improved relations.A spokesman for the South Sudan army said the clashes were the biggest confrontation since independence.The clashes prompted President Kiir to warn of war.
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He said: "This morning the [Sudanese] air force came and bombed... areas in Unity state.

"After this intensive bombardment our forces.... were attacked by the [Sudan Armed Forces] and militia."

Mr Kiir added: "It is a war that has been imposed on us again, but it is [Sudanese] who are looking for it."
The South also reported Khartoum had attacked the disputed areas of Jau and Pan Akuach, and Teshwin inside South Sudan.
Sudan's army spokesman, Sawarmi Khalid Saad, confirmed fighting in the border area of Sudan's South Kordofan state and the southern Unity state, without giving the exact locations.

"The clashes there are still ongoing," he said.When the South seceded, it took most of the former Sudan's oil fields but all the pipelines still flow north, to the export terminal in Port Sudan.In January, South Sudan shut down all of its oil fields in a row over the fees Sudan demands to transit the oil.South Sudan depends on oil sales for 98% of state revenues, but pledged not to restart production until a deal was reached.Parts of the countries' common border also remain in dispute.
In February, the two states agreed to demarcate most of the border within three months, although this would exclude five disputed areas.
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World leaders: Nuclear terrorism a 'grave threat'

World leaders have called for closer co-operation to tackle the threat of nuclear terrorism at a summit on nuclear security in Seoul.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said nuclear terrorism remained a "grave threat", while US President Barack Obama said action was key.
Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the group to work together on the issue.
Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the group to work together on the issue.
The meeting has so far been dominated by North Korea's plan to launch a rocket next month.
North Korea says the long-range rocket will carry a satellite. The US says any launch would violate UN resolutions and constitute a missile test.
Iran's nuclear programme was also on the minds of the summit participants, with Mr Obama pledging to meet the leaders of Russia and China on the sidelines to work towards a resolution
At the meeting, world leaders are discussing measures to fight the threat of nuclear terrorism, including the protection of nuclear materials and facilities, as well as the prevention of trafficking of nuclear materials

There are currently no binding international agreements on how to protect nuclear material stored peacefully inside its home country, says the BBC's correspondent in Seoul, Lucy Williamson. An amendment seeking to do that is still unratified after seven years.

Addressing the summit, Mr Obama warned there were still "too many bad actors'' who were threatening to stockpile and use ''dangerous'' nuclear material.
"It would not take much, just a handful or so of these materials, to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people and that's not an exaggeration, that's the reality that we face," he said.

Rocket launch
Meetings on Monday were overshadowed by North Korea's planned launch, scheduled to take place between 12 and 16 April.
Pyongyang says it is intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il-sung.On Tuesday, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said that the launch will go ahead as planned and criticised Mr Obama's stance as ''confrontational''.
North Korea ''will never give up the launch of a satellite for peaceful purposes''', the spokesman said in a statement in the official KCNA news agency.
"The security of the world depends on the actions that we take."
"The security of the world depends on the actions that we take."
Mr Hu called for "an international environment conducive to boosting nuclear security" to be created and Mr Lee called for concrete action to tackle a threat that posed "a grave challenge" to peace.
The summit, attending by almost 60 leaders from around the world, is due to issue a communique later in the day.

Mexico Supreme Court rejects Florence Cassez release

Mexico's Supreme Court has said a Frenchwoman jailed for 60 years for kidnap should not be freed immediately.

But the court allowed for the possibility of a retrial of Florence Cassez, 37, saying there were violations in the case.
Ms Cassez was arrested in 2005 at a ranch near Mexico City where several victims were being held, but denies knowledge of the abductions.

The French government says it regrets the court's decision.
The review was requested by a Supreme Court judge, Arturo Zaldivar, who says Ms Cassez was denied her consular rights and the right to be presumed innocent after her arrest.In a motion presented to the court, he said police violated her rights by failing to notify the French consulate and failing to present her to investigative officials.
Judge Zaldivar said the irregularities included the fact that Mexican police made Ms Cassez take part in a televised staging of the raid.
In its decision, the Supreme Court review panel decided not to release Ms Cassez immediately.
But it accepted that there had been police misconduct and violations of Ms Cassez's rights after her detention, leaving open the possibility that the case could need to be reheard.