Japan missing more than 230K listed centenarians AP

TOKYO More than 230,000 Japanese citizens listed in government records as at least 100 years old cant be found and may have died long ago, according to a government survey released Friday.

In August, the Justice Ministry ordered a review of records that found about 77,000 people who would be at least 120, and 884 people who would be 150 or older. The head count followed a flurry of reports about how elderly people are falling through the cracks in Japan as its population ages rapidly and family ties weaken.

In all, the survey of family registration records nationwide found that 234,354 centenarians were still listed as alive, but their whereabouts were unknown, the ministry said.

Because listings of people over 120 are almost certainly the result of lax bookkeeping, the ministry instructed local offices to attach a note to those records saying the people were unaccounted for, a ministry official said.

A ministry official said many of the missing people had probably died, lost touch with relatives or moved overseas. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing ministry policy.

In late July, police discovered that Sogen Kato, who would have been 111 and was thought to be Tokyos oldest man, had actually been dead for 32 years and his decayed body was still lying in his home.

Police have arrested his granddaughter for suspected abandonment and pension fraud.

That case and other revelations of scamming relatives and isolated and forgotten elderly people led to closer scrutiny ahead of the Health Ministrys annual report on centenarians. Last years report said Japan had 40,399 people aged 100 or older with known addresses.

An official at the Health Ministrys statistics bureau said Fridays survey does not change Japans status as a fast-aging nation because life expectancy calculations are not based on family registration records.

The share of the population aged 65 and older hit a record high of 22.7 percent last year, while young people aged 14 or younger fell to 13.3 percent � the lowest among 27 countries with populations of more than 40 million. Japanese women can expect to live 86 years, the longest in the world, and men nearly 80.

The graying of Japanese society and its low birth rate have brought an increasing number of social problems, strained government services and pension programs, and raised worries about expected labor shortages in the near future.

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Nokia dumps CEO, turns to Microsoft exec AP

HELSINKI Nokia Corp. is replacing CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo with top Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as the worlds top handset maker aims to regain lost ground in the fiercely competitive smartphone market.

Elop, head of Microsofts business division, has held top posts at Juniper Networks Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Macromedia Inc. He takes over Sept. 21, the company said Friday.

Analysts welcomed the choice of the 46-year-old Canadian, who has worked closely with Nokia at Microsoft and Macromedia with developing the Symbian software platform for Nokia phones and delivering Flash player memory capabilities on Nokia devices.

"On the software side he will be an asset to the company," said Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics. "The handset market is computerizing, so having an idea where the mobile handset software is heading in the future will be beneficial."

The companys share price jumped almost 4 percent to euro8.04 $10.22in mid-afternoon trading in Helsinki.

With Nokia stock down more than 20 percent this year due to two profit warnings, Nokia veteran Kallasvuo had come under increasing pressure amid speculation he would be ousted.

Jorma Ollila, chairman of the board and former CEO credited with developing the Finnish company to an international leader in the mobile sector said Elop has "a strong software background and proven record in change management" to help Nokia meet new challenges.

In 2005, Elop became CEO of Macromedia, maker of Flash software, just months before Adobe bought the company. Flash allows people to use their Web browsers to watch Internet video and animation, and the software is now increasingly used on mobile phones.

He is a computer engineering and management graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and also served as a systems executive at Boston Chicken, Inc.

"My job is to take this organization though a period of disruption," Elop told reporters. "Nokia has many great assets in smartphone arena. Its about the entire experience, its about the platform, its about the applications, its about the services."

Elop said a key focus would be "to ensure and deliver that end-experience, not only what you think of as a device but all of the supporting elements."

The 57-year-old Kallasvuo, who joined the company in 1982, will leave as president and CEO on Sept. 20. He will give up his seat on the board of directors with immediate effect and be replaced by Elop, who heads Microsofts business division.

Kallasvuo will continue to chair the board of the Nokia Siemens Networks unit in a non-executive capacity, the company said.

Elop made a striking difference to Kallasvuos stiff press meetings made in halting English. He discussed ice hockey � close to Finnish hearts � and even jested about Finnish licorice candy he didnt like.

"It seems that Nokia is now ready for an international charismatic leader," said Microsoft Finland CEO Ari Rahkonen. "He is an international leader with broad international networks, a very charismatic performer and very keen on technology."

The appointment would appear to be a logical choice for Nokia,which increasingly has turned to providing more services for handset users such as music and video downloads, navigational maps and games, in a global online market it estimates will reach euro100 billion this year with some 300 million active users by 2011.

Also, Elop been an integral part of the growing cooperation between Nokia and Microsoft in recent years.

In 2009, Nokia launched its first laptop, a netbook with a 10-inch screen that runs on Microsofts Windows 7 software. Previously, access to some of Microsofts most popular Web services, like Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, have been built into Nokia phone models.

Although it is still the world leader in handset sales � with a 33 percent market share � Nokia has been slow at detecting the latest trends, like folding clamshell models and touch screen handsets.

Markets have for long been expecting something fresh and new from the company that once had the innovative edge in the industry but that has not happened since Kallasvuo took over in 2006. He has also been unable to tackle problems in the North American market, the companys worst performer, despite a pledge to make it a top priority.

Kallasvuos departure was hinted at as early as July. When announcing the companys second-quarter earnings report, he conceded that rumors that he might be replaced were "not good for Nokia, and in one way or other we should be able to solve the problem to end the speculation."

Nokia also has predicted that while global mobile market will grow 10 percent this year its own growth will remain flat and its ailing network sector, Nokia Siemens Networks � a joint venture between Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG of Germany � continues to see revenue fall.

Nokia, based in Espoo near Helsinki, employs 130,000 people worldwide.

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Online:

http://www.nokia.com

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S. Africa official: 31 injured in train collision AP

JOHANNESBURG South African emergency officials say 31 people were injured when a passenger train crashed into a stationary goods train east of Johannesburg.

Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokeswoman Natasha du Preez said Friday that ambulances transported the injured passengers to different hospitals around the economic hub of Johannesburg. Du Preez says no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the crash.

The official says the other 26 passengers were waiting to be transported by another train to their various destinations.

She says the train company is investigating the cause of the crash.

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Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho killed AP

JOHANNESBURG The U.S. Embassy in Lesotho says a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the southern African country was shot and killed in an apparent robbery attempt.

In a statement this week, the embassy identified the volunteer as 24-year-old Thomas Maresco, a recent University of Florida graduate who had been working in Lesotho since 2009. He died Sept. 3.

The embassy says, "It appears it may have been an attempted robbery." No other details were provided.

Maresco taught high school science and coached basketball and swimming in a Lesotho village. He was among about 90 volunteers in Lesotho, an impoverished, mountainous kingdom surrounded by South Africa.

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Nokias Kallasvuo replaced by Microsoft exec AP

HELSINKI Nokia Corp. will replace CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo with top Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as the worlds largest mobile phone maker struggles to keep pace with smaller and more innovative rivals, particularly in the smartphone market.

Elop, head of Microsofts business division, has held top posts at Juniper Networks Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Macromedia Inc., and, as a systems executive, Boston Chicken Inc.

He takes over Sept. 21, the company said Friday.

With Nokia stock down more than 20 percent this year due to two profit warnings, the Nokia veteran Kallasvuo had come under increasing pressure amid speculation he would be ousted.

Investors welcomed the news, and sent the companys share price up some 5 percent to euro8.11 $10.31 in Helsinki.

"The time is right to accelerate the companys renewal � to bring in new executive leadership with different skills and strengths in order to drive company success," chairman of the board and former CEO Jorma Ollila said in a statement.

Ollila said that Elop, age 46, has a "strong software background and proven record in change management which will be valuable assets as we press harder to complete the transformation of the company."

A Canadian, Elop is a computer engineering and management graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He became CEO of Macromedia, Inc., maker of Flash software, in 2005 just months before Adobe bought the company. Flash allows people to use their Web browsers to watch Internet video and animation, and the software is now increasingly used on mobile phones.

The 57-year-old Kallasvuo, who joined the company in 1982, will leave as president and CEO on Sept. 20 and give up his seat on the board of directors with immediate effect and be replaced by Elop, who heads Microsofts business division.

Kallasvuo will continue to chair the board of the Nokia Siemens Networks unit in a non-executive capacity, the company said.

Although it is still the world leader in handset sales � with a 33 percent market share � Nokia has been slow at detecting new trends, like folding clamshell models and touch screen handsets.

Markets have been expecting something fresh and new from the company that once had the innovative edge in the industry but that has not happened since Kallasvuo took over in 2006. He has also been unable to tackle problems in the North American market, the companys worst performer, despite a pledge to make it a top priority.

Nokia has predicted that while global mobile market will grow 10 percent this year its own growth will remain flat and its ailing network sector, Nokia Siemens Networks � a joint venture between Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG of Germany � continues to see revenue fall.

Kallasvuos departure was hinted at as early as July. When announcing the companys second-quarter earnings report, he conceded that rumors that he might be replaced were "not good for Nokia, and in one way or other we should be able to solve the problem to end the speculation."

As cell phone markets have become saturated, Nokia increasingly has turned to providing more services, such as music and video downloads, navigational maps and games, in a global online market it estimates will reach euro100 billion this year, with some 300 million active users by 2011.

The appointment of Elop thus fits well into the pattern of closer ties between the worlds top handset maker and the software giant, which have grown in recent years.

In 2009, Nokia launched its first laptop, a netbook with a 10-inch screen that runs on Microsofts Windows 7 software. Previously, access to some of Microsofts most popular Web services, like Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, have been built into Nokia phone models.

Nokia, based in Espoo near Helsinki, employs 130,000 people worldwide.

____

Online:

http://www.nokia.com

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Activists in Africa seek govt funds to fight AIDS AP

JOHANNESBURG African doctors and rights activists are pressing their governments to spend more on health as part of a campaign to stop children from getting AIDS.

Graca Machel, a longtime advocate for children, is leading the campaign along with pediatricians and other experts from across the continent.

Machel told reporters Friday that African governments need to meet pledges made in 2001 to devote at least 15 percent of national budgets to health. Campaign leaders say foreigners cannot be expected to help if Africans dont help themselves.

Machel, the wife of Nelson Mandela, says she will be lobbying African leaders.

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2 Guinea election officials charged with fraud AP

CONAKRY, Guinea Two senior voting officials have been charged with vote tampering and sentenced to one year in prison a week before Guineas crucial presidential vote, in a court proceeding that not even their lawyers were informed of and which is bound to increase tensions before the poll.

El Haj Boubacar Diallo, the director of planning of the National Independent Election Commission, told The Associated Press by phone Friday that he learned of the sentencing when a radio reporter called him to get his reaction Thursday afternoon. He said he confirmed he and the commissions President Ben Sekou Sylla had been charged by calling the countrys chief prosecutor who told him it was true.

"I was at the office all day yesterday. No one from the court called me. Not even my lawyer was told about the judges decision," Diallo said.

The complaint against the election officials was lodged by Alpha Conde, who came in second place in the first round of the presidential election in June with 18 percent of the vote. Top finisher Cellou Dalein Diallo got 44 percent and election watchers say he will likely win the run-off Sept. 19.

But the upcoming election is tainted with ethnic tensions, which have been escalating in recent weeks and threaten to derail what many had hoped would be Guineas first free and fair vote. The race is pitting Diallos Peul ethnic group, which is the countrys largest but which has never had one of its own in power, against Condes smaller Malinke tribe. The Malinke are heavily represented in the army and it is the ethnic group of Guineas interim president Gen. Sekouba Konate.

"Alpha Conde knows he cannot win. So he is using his connections inside the army and inside the interim government to try to manipulate the outcome of the vote," election planning director Diallo said.

Diallo says he has yet to hear from the judge that issued the sentence. On Friday, a public holiday marking the end of Ramadan, he was at home awaiting his fate.

Guinea, a nation on Africas western coast, has gone through decades of upheavals and most recently survived the one-year rule of a brutal army captain whose men led a massacre Sept. 29, killing hundreds of people that had gathered inside the national soccer stadium to demand a return to democracy. The majority of the victims were Peul.

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Rukmini Callimachi contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal.

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Day of mourning for Russian car bomb victims AP

VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia Flags are at half-staff in the Russian Caucasus city of Vladikavkaz and stunned residents are laying flowers in a rubble-strewn square where a suicide car bombing killed 17 people and wounded more than 140.

Thursdays bombing on the edge of the central market of the capital of the North Ossetia republic was the most serious attack in Russia since the March subway bombings in Moscow that killed 40.

North Ossetian health minister Vladimir Selivanov said Friday that 107 wounded people were in local hospitals and 11 severely injured victims had been flown to Moscow, according to state news agency ITAR-Tass.

In Dagestan, another republic in the violence-plagued Caucasus, officials said a policeman and a prison warden were shot to death in separate attacks.

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Obama to take GOP to task on economy, tax cuts AP

WASHINGTON Striving to gain the upper hand on a crucial political issue, President Barack Obama is faulting Republicans for refusing to help him turn around the sluggish economy or support some proposed new tax breaks for businesses that the GOP has backed in the past.

Obama has argued that case many times recently. But on Friday he takes it to an audience of millions, including many who will vote in Novembers decisive congressional elections, during a nationally televised news conference from the White House East Room.

Before taking questions, Obama was to open the session with a statement on the economy and the stakes in the elections and, according to a White House official, announce that he has chosen one of his longtime economic advisers, Austan Goolsbee, to be the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers. The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement had not been made.

Goolsbee, 41, a University of Chicago professor of economics, was Obamas senior economic adviser during the 2008 presidential campaign. He already has been confirmed to the council by the Senate and will need no further confirmation. He replaces Christina Romer, who left the administration last week to return to teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.

With Democrats in danger of losing control of the House, Obama is trying to convince voters that they have a choice between going back to GOP policies that led to the economic crisis or going forward with policies he says will grow the economy over the long term.

Feeling pressure to show he is doing everything possible to repair the economy, Obama this week unveiled a tax-and-spend package that would expand and permanently extend a tax credit for research and development that lapsed in 2009, let businesses write off 100 percent of their investments in equipment and plants through 2011, and spend $50 billion immediately on highway, rail and airport projects.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio has offered an alternative plan: freezing tax rates for two years and cutting back government spending to 2008 levels.

Obama also wants to let taxes rise next year on the highest wage earners while keeping existing tax cuts for families with annual incomes of $250,000 or less and individuals making $200,000 a year maximum. Republicans insist on keeping the lower tax rates for higher incomes, arguing that doing so would help small businesses too. Obama argues thats a financial burden the country cant afford to bear.

By law, taxes will rise for everyone next year unless Congress acts.

But even some of Obamas own Democrats and his former budget director, Peter Orszag, have suggested a compromise that would temporarily extend all the tax cuts that were enacted in 2001 and 2003 under President George W. Bush, to leave more money in consumers pockets and give the economy some breathing room, before the tax cuts are allowed to expire entirely in a year or two.

Obama campaigned for president on a promise not to raise taxes on the middle class. He insisted Thursday during a speech in Cleveland that tax cuts for that income group must not be held "hostage any longer."

At the news conference, Obama also is expected to challenge Republicans to allow a Senate vote on a bill that calls for about $12 billion in tax breaks for small businesses. It also includes a $30 billion fund to encourage banks to lend to small business. Republicans have likened the bill to the unpopular bailout of the financial industry.

Obama has blamed Republicans for stalling the bill. The measure is on the agenda when the Senate returns next week. The House has already passed many of the provisions in the Senate bill.

Fridays news conference will be just the second time this year that Obama has met alone with reporters at the White House.

He has appeared before the White House press corps several times with visiting foreign leaders. Obama last held a solo White House news conference in May to discuss the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

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Decision to suspend Quran-burning met with relief AP

LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia Religious and political leaders across the Muslim world have welcomed a decision by a small American church to suspend plans to torch copies of their holy book. But some say the damage already has been done.

Rev. Terry Jones from the Dove Outreach Center in Florida triggered international outrage when he announced he would burn the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, with hundreds of angry protesters in Afghanistan and Pakistan burning U.S. flags and chanting "Death to the Christians."

His decision to hold off, made overnight in Asia, when many people were sleeping, was met with relief.

But cleric Rusli Hasbi told 1,000 worshippers in Indonesia on Friday that Jones has already "hurt the heart of the Muslim world."

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