China: Obama visit with Dalai Lama has 'harmed Sino-U.S. relations'

China: Obama visit with Dalai Lama has 'harmed Sino-U.S. relations'

President Barack Obama meets with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Saturday.

(CNN) -- China spoke out strongly Sunday against a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, saying it "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and harmed Sino-U.S. relations."

"This action seriously interfered with China's internal affairs," said Ma Zhaoxu, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, adding that officials have lodged formal complaints with their U.S. counterparts in Beijing and Washington.

Obama met with the Dalai Lama on Saturday in Washington, commending the Tibetan spiritual leader on his commitment to nonviolence and pursuit of the "Middle Way" approach with China, the White House said in a statement.

During the closed-door visit at the White House, Obama stressed the U.S. policy that "Tibet is a part of the People's Republic of China and the United States does not support independence for Tibet," the White House said.

In the nearly 45-minute meeting, the president voiced support for "direct dialogue" between China and Tibet as a way to peace, the statement said.

"The Dalai Lama stated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet and hopes that dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government can soon resume," the White House said.

American support of the Dalai Lama has long been a subject of contention in U.S.-China relations. Chinese officials view the religious leader as a separatist.

The issue of Tibet is one that "involves China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement released before the meeting. "We oppose foreign leaders meeting with the Dalai Lama in any format."

The strong objection to the meeting continued after it was over.

"By allowing the Dalai Lama to visit the U.S. and arranging the top leader to meet him, the United States has seriously violated basic principles of international relations and its own repeated solemn pledges, and harmed Sino-U.S. relations," Ma's statement said. "China therefore expresses its strong indignation and firm opposition."

The statement concluded by calling on the U.S. "to take China's solemn and just stance seriously, and adopt immediate measures to eliminate adverse consequences."

The president last met with his fellow Nobel Peace laureate in February 2010.

The Dalai Lama expressed hopes that his relationship with China can improve, with U.S. help.

The current Dalai Lama is also known by the name Tenzin Gyatso. He was born in 1935 in modern-day Qinghai, China.

The term "Dalai Lama" is a Buddhist religious title. In traditional Tibetan belief, the title is given to those who are the reincarnations of a line of revered religious teachers. The current Dalai Lama is considered the 14th in this line.

The Dalai Lama has been in Washington on an 11-day visit. He has conducted a mass ritual for Buddhists and met with several lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Forest fires rage in Northern Ontario

Forest fires rage in Northern Ontario

At least 2,360 personnel from Ontario and British Columbia are battling the blazes.

Soaring temperatures and tinder dry conditions are fuelling dozens of forest fires in Northern Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural resources says there are 85 active fires in the province — 80 of them in the remote northwest region.

A Restricted Fire Zone is in effect to help reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires. But with little rain forecast for the region, and the winds expected to pick up, the ministry predicts many of the fires will continue to grow, creating smoke issues in some communities.

The First Nations Chiefs and Emergency Management Ontario, along with federal and provincial agencies are planning for potential evacuations. Some 111 residents from Cat Lake were evacuated to Matachewan on Friday due to smoke concerns and power outages.

On the ground, more than 2,000 Ontario personnel working the firelines are being aided by 360 fire staff from British Columbia. In the air, more than 40 aircraft, including 14 waterbombers and 13 initial attack helicopters are involved in the firefight.

At least five fires are also burning in northeastern Ontario, with more expected to develop over the weekend.

Analysts: Singer's slaying shines spotlight on Guatemalan violence

Analysts: Singer's slaying shines spotlight on Guatemalan violence

Argentinian folk singer Facundo Cabral's body is removed from a van after he was shot to death Saturday, July 9.

(CNN) -- Analysts say the slaying of one of Latin America's best-known folk singers over the weekend shines a spotlight on problems with deep roots in Guatemala: violence, impunity and the pervasive presence of organized crime

"It shows how far these groups have infiltrated. ... It's a very large blow first of all to the country's image, and secondly to its government," said Miguel Castillo, a professor of political science at the University of Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City.

Gunmen ambushed Argentinian folk singer Facundo Cabral when he was on his way to the airport in the nation's capital Saturday, authorities said. As investigators continued searching for suspects Monday, the high-profile shooting drew increasing attention throughout Latin America, where Cabral gained fame as a protest singer who pushed for peace.

"The Guatemalan people are quite shocked and outraged, and we have to face the situation like others we have faced in a country that is fighting to get out of this state of violence that has hit us so hard," Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said in an interview Monday with Mexico's MVS Radio.

Corruption and violence are high in Guatemala, according to the United Nations, which created a committee in 2006 to investigate those issues there.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Guatemala since 1970, mostly as a result of organized crime, drug-trade violence and a 36-year civil war that ended in 1996.

Violence in Guatemala drew international attention in May after investigators found the bodies of 27 dismembered and decapitated workers on a farm in a northern border province -- brutal evidence of what officials and analysts said is a dramatic spike in violence across the region as Mexican drug cartels expand their reach.

Colom Monday attributed Cabral's killing to "organized crime," telling MVS Radio that evidence indicated the Nicaraguan businessman driving him to the airport was the attackers' intended target.

But analyst Samuel Logan cautioned that in the run-up to Guatemala's September elections, government officials may have different motives in describing the situation.

"To say that this famous Argentine musician wasn't a target lends credence to the idea that Guatemala's a safe place to travel for musicians or just in general," said Logan, the managing director of Southern Pulse, an online information network focused on Latin America.

It's possible that hit-men targeted Cabral, Logan said.

"Groups like Los Zetas have killed people simply for the songs that they sung publicly. My question was, what did he sing? What was his playlist? ... It could have been just that simple," he added.

In recent weeks, Guatemalan officials have touted arrests of members of Los Zetas as a sign that they're cracking down on crime.

Cabral's killing is one of many indications that the government's efforts have seen limited results, Castillo said.

"The (criminal) organizations' structures have not been damaged. Yes, there are a few accomplishments, but the long-term impact isn't so large," he said.

Henry Brands, an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University who published an analysis of violence and politics in the Central American country last year, said Cabral's killing is "very striking."

"It makes people sit up and take note, but the fact is that this is really not a new phenomenon in Guatemala," he said.

Drug-fueled organized crime has had a strong presence in the Central American country for decades, he said.

"This is probably a depressingly familiar story for most Guatemalans. ...The single dominant theme of Guatemalan politics is citizen insecurity," Brands said. "The basic problem in Guatemala is that the crime is so deeply rooted in the social and institutional structures of the country that it's going to take a sort of exorcism to solve the problem."

'Ice Wars' heating up the Arctic

'Ice Wars' heating up the Arctic

Scrambling for a piece of the Arctic pie

(CNN) -- On a small, floating piece of ice in the Beaufort Sea, several hundred miles north of Alaska, a group of scientists are documenting what some dub an "Arctic meltdown."

According to climate scientists, the warming of the region is shrinking the polar ice cap at an alarming rate, reducing the permafrost layer and wreaking havoc on polar bears, arctic foxes and other indigenous wildlife in the region.

What is bad for the animals, though, has been good for commerce.

The recession of the sea ice and the reduction in permafrost -- combined with advances in technology -- have allowed access to oil, mineral and natural gas deposits that were previously trapped in the ice.

The abundance of these valuable resources and the opportunity to exploit them has created a gold rush-like scramble in the high north, with fierce competition to determine which countries have the right to access the riches of the Arctic.

This competition has brought in its wake a host of naval and military activities that the Arctic hasn't seen since the end of the Cold War.

Now, one of the coldest places on Earth is heating up as nuclear submarines, Aegis-class frigates, strategic bombers and a new generation of icebreakers are resuming operations there.

Just how much oil and natural gas is under the Arctic ice?
The Arctic is home to approximately 90 billion barrels of undiscovered but recoverable oil, according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Geological Survey. And preliminary estimates are that one-third of the world's natural gas may be harbored in the Arctic ice.

But that's not all that's up for grabs. The Arctic also contains rich mineral deposits. Canada, which was not historically a diamond-producing nation, is now the third-largest diamond producer in the world.

If the global warming trend continues as many scientists project it to, it is likely that more and more resources will be discovered as the ice melts further.

Who are the countries competing for resources?
The United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Finland all stake a claim to a portion of the Arctic. These countries make up the Arctic Council, a diplomatic forum designed to mediate disputes on Arctic issues

Professor Brigham Lawson, director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in Anchorage, Alaska, and chairman of the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment of the Arctic Council, says that "cooperation in the Arctic has never been higher."

But like the oil trapped on the Arctic sea floor, much of the activity of the Arctic Council is happening below the surface.

In secret diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stieg Moeller was quoted as saying to the United States, "If you stay out, the rest of us will have more to carve up the Arctic."

At the root of Moeller's statement is a dispute over control of territories that is pitting friend against foe and against friend. Canada and the U.S., strategic allies in NATO and Afghanistan, are in a diplomatic dispute over the Northwest Passage. Canada and Russia have recently signed development agreements together.

In the same way a compass goes awry approaching the North Pole, traditional strategic alliances are impacted at the top of the world.

Who owns the rights to the resources?
Right now, the most far-reaching legal document is the U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. All of the Arctic states are using its language to assert their claims.

The Law of the Sea was initially designed to govern issues like fishing rights, granting nations an exclusive economic zone 200 miles off their coasts. But in the undefined, changing and overlapping territory of the Arctic, the Law of the Sea becomes an imperfect guide, and there are disputes over who owns what.

One example is the Lomonosov Ridge, which Canada, Denmark and Russia all claim is within their territory, based on their cartographic interpretations.

Also complicating matters is the fact that the U.S. has never ratified the Law of the Sea. That has given other Arctic Council nations more muscle to assert territorial rights.

So what's next?
With murky international agreements and an absence of clear legal authority, countries are preaching cooperation but preparing for conflict.

There has been a flurry of new military activity reminiscent of days past.

Two U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines, the SSN Connecticut and the SSN New Hampshire, recently finished conducting ice exercises in the Arctic. Secretary of the Navy Richard Maybus said the purpose of the recent naval exercises was "to do operational and war-fighting capabilities. Places are becoming open that have been ice-bound for literally millennia. You're going to see more and more of the world's attention pointed towards the Arctic."

Other Arctic nations are ramping up their military capabilities as well. Just this month, Russia announced that it is deploying two brigades to the Arctic, including a special forces unit. The Russian air force has recently resumed strategic bomber flights over the Pole. Canada, Denmark and Norway are also rapidly rebuilding their military presence.

But despite the buildup, almost all of the activity in the Arctic has been within the scope of normal military operations or research.

Have we seen this before?
There is a long precedent for countries using the Arctic to demonstrate military primacy.

On April 25, 1958, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine -- the USS Nautilus (SSN 571) -- began Operation Sunshine, the first undersea transpolar crossing.

Done on the heels of the Sputnik satellite launch, it was a demonstration that the U.S. could go places that its Cold War nemesis could not. For the next three decades, U.S. and Soviet submarines would continue to use the Arctic as a proving ground for military prowess.

With the end of the Cold War, that activity waned. But in 2007, a Russian expedition planted a flag on the bottom of the polar sea floor, almost 14,000 feet below the surface. This "neo-Sputnik" has brought renewed interest to the Arctic and launched a flurry of activity -- scientific, economic and military -- that is eerily parallel to the decades of tension between the superpowers.

The Cold War may be over, but the dethawing of military activity means that the frigid Arctic is once again becoming a hot spot.

Major earthquake strikes off the northern coast of Japan

Major earthquake strikes off the northern coast of Japan

(CNN) -- A major earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast Sunday, prompting tsunami advisories that were later canceled, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

Small tsunamis were observed along the coast, measuring between 10 and 20 centimeters, said the JMA.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 10:57 a.m. at the epicenter, about 130 miles east of Sendai.

The earthquake was more than 20 miles deep and had a magnitude of 7.0, the USGS said.

The JMA measured the magnitude of the quake at 7.1.

Tsunami advisories were issued -- and then canceled --for the coastal regions of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. The areas were among the hardest hit by this year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Officials in Ofunato, a city in Iwate, advised residents to evacuate.

The JMA, immediately after the quake, forecast the height of the tsunami could reach half a meter (about 20 inches).

No immediate abnormalities were reported at nearby nuclear facilities, according to Kyodo.

Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered meltdowns after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan. The tsunami swamped the plant and knocked out cooling systems that kept the three operating reactors from overheating, leading to the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Tremors from Sunday's quake were felt as far away as Tokyo.

"It's just a continuing of the aftershocks of that devastating 9.0," said Dale Grant, a geophysicist with the USGS, referring to the March quake. "These kinds of aftershocks are likely to occur for some time."

$3 million bail set for suspect in 1957 slaying

$3 million bail set for suspect in 1957 slaying

Jack Daniel McCullough, who changed his name when he joined the military, worked as a police officer in the 1970s.

(CNN) -- A Seattle-area judge has set bail for a former police officer and veteran at $3 million in the cold-case killing of a little girl in Illinois more than five decades ago.

Jack Daniel McCullough, 71, was charged last week in the death of Maria Ridulph, 7, who in 1957 was abducted while playing with a friend near her home in Sycamore, about 50 miles west of Chicago.

At a hearing Monday, McCullough's attorney told the judge that the defendant, who lives in Washington state, doesn't acknowledge that he is who the state claims he is, according to CNN affiliate KOMO in Seattle.

McCullough is due in court Wednesday for another hearing at the King County courthouse.

More than 50 years after Maria vanished from a street in Sycamore, the trail turned hot just last year as investigators did follow-up interviews with people involved in the case.

It was three weeks before Christmas in 1957 when then-8-year-old Cathy Sigman told adults twice that her friend, 7-year-old Maria, was missing after playing with "Johnny," a 20-year-old white male, according to court documents obtained by KOMO.

The stranger had gotten Maria to trust him by letting her ride piggy-back. He then asked the girls if they had dolls, Sigman said in a witness statement filed in the case. Maria quickly went home to get hers.

Sigman, left alone with the man, said he touched her arm and thigh. And he gave her "the creeps," according to a probable cause warrant filed in the case.

When Maria returned, Sigman left them to get mittens. When she returned, the man and her friend were gone.

The search ran into the next morning, December 4, 1957. The case was big news, even attracting the attention of the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover, who was supplied daily updates from agents.

About four months later Maria's body was found in Jo Davies County, about 120 miles from the last place she was seen.

In the years since, McCullough, known as John Tessier at the time, joined the armed forces and legally changed his name. Later he began a career in law enforcement, serving with the Lacey and Milton police departments in Washington state, court documents show.

McCullough was initially a suspect. When interviewed by police he said he knew both girls, according to court documents. But he had an alibi -- he said he had been in Rockford, Illinois, en route to Chicago to enlist in the Army.

Last September, investigators tracked down Cathy Sigman, now in her 60s, and showed her some old photos of men who fit the description of John Tessier, aka McCullough. "That's him," she said, according to the probable cause statement that led to McCullough's arrest. "To the best of my memory and recollection of that night, that's him."

When authorities knocked on his apartment door last week to arrest him, they found McCullough with a small child he said was his granddaughter, according to court documents.

McCullough may face extradition to Illinois, according to CNN affiliate KING-TV.

Australia beset by Afghan detainee chaos: files

Australia beset by Afghan detainee chaos: files

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, centre, meets her country's troops in southern Afghanistan last fall. Australia's detainee policy for Afghan militants was in a shambles, secret documents reveal.

Australia went to war in Afghanistan without a clear policy on how to deal with enemy detainees, according to secret papers that reveal one of Canada's military allies was just as fraught over what to do with captured militants.

When a policy was adopted, the then chief of the armed forces expressed reservations about the legality of the agreed approach.

The documents also show that the public was never told about the death of an Iranian man captured by Australian troops in 2003.

The papers, obtained under freedom of information laws by the Sydney-based non-profit Public Interest Advocacy Centre, reveal utter confusion at the highest levels of the Australian government and the Department of Defence over how to deal with enemy detainees.

On Feb. 25, 2002, as Australian troops fought in Afghanistan, armed forces chief Admiral Chris Barrie wrote to the country's then defence minister complaining his commanders were being put at risk.

"There is currently no clear government policy on the handling of personnel who may be captured by the ADF," the Australian Defence Force, Barrie wrote. "Defence and in particular ADF commanders are currently accepting the risk flowing from the lack of government policy."

Barrie proposed a set of interim arrangements, such as asking for U.S. help to move captives from where the Australians were in Kandahar to a U.S. detention facility, where an ADF team could supervise any prisoners captured by Australians.

Then defence minister Robert Hill gave permission for Barrie to negotiate with the United States and added a series of handwritten comments at the end of Barrie's missive.

"I don't understand why I didn't get this brief before the Afghanistan operation," he wrote. "We clearly should have sorted out this issue with the U.S. as leader of the coalition months ago."

What emerged from the negotiations became Australia's detention policy in Afghanistan and Iraq: that if even a single U.S. soldier was present when Australian forces captured enemy fighters, the U.S. and not Australia would be recognized as the "detaining power".

In a paragraph with words redacted, Barrie expressed reservations about the legality of this approach.

"Such an arrangement may not fully satisfy Australia's legal obligations and in any event will not be viewed as promoting a respect for the rule of law," he concluded.

Iraq death

The documents also reveal an Iranian man who was captured in Iraq by Australian special forces troops in 2003 died while being transferred to Baghdad.

Then ADF chief General Peter Cosgrove told the government of the death of 43-year-old Tanik Mahmud, but the Australian public was never informed.

Mahmud was among 66 enemy personnel that a team of 20 troops intercepted in Iraq's western desert on April 11, 2003. They were caught on a bus carrying almost $1 million, apparently to pay for bounties on the heads of U.S. soldiers.

The special forces helped detain the men — from Iraq, Syria and Iran — for 10 hours before Britain's Royal Air Force transported them to U.S. detention facilities in Baghdad.

When the Chinook helicopters landed in the Iraqi capital, Mahmud was dead.

The Department of Defence and the Australian government were aware of the problem but chose not to tell the public about it.

Australia's experience with detainees comes in the wake of concerns over how Canadian forces handled militants captured in Afghanistan. Canada has been accused of handing over its captives to Afghan authorities with full knowledge they would be tortured.

Prince William and Catherine visit Quebec City during Canadian tour

Prince William and Catherine visit Quebec City during Canadian tour

Prince William and Catherine attend evening celebrations of National Canada Day on Saturday in Ottawa.

Montreal (CNN) -- Anti-monarchy protesters are expected to demonstrate Sunday at Quebec City Hall as Prince William and his wife, Catherine, begin the next phase of their Canadian tour.

On Saturday evening, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Montreal to a small group of demonstrators who opposed the newlywed couple's tour and the British monarchy they represent.

The demonstrators -- carrying signs and chanting slogans -- were among the first groups to oppose the visit by William and Catherine, who are on their first official foreign trip as a married couple.

Canada is part of the Commonwealth of Nations -- a loose association of nations that were once part of the British Empire.

The couple's Sunday plans include a morning prayer, during which they will join the crew of the naval ship HMCS Montreal in worship.

Later Sunday, the duke and duchess will visit Maison Dauphine, which provides assistance to troubled street youth in Quebec.

William and Catherine will also attend a "Freedom of the City" ceremony at Quebec City Hall and a city of Levis community celebration.

At the end of their day in Quebec City on Sunday, the royal couple will head to Prince Edward Island for the next leg of their four-province, nine-day. There, Prince William will take part in a coast guard rescue exercise.

On Saturday, William and Catherine were in Ottawa, wrapping up their last official day there by planting a tree and meeting with Canadian war veterans.

The royal couple joined a long list of illustrious international visitors when they ceremonially planted a Canadian hemlock on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

They then greeted veterans of conflicts and peacekeeping missions, including some who have served in Afghanistan, and representatives of the many British women who migrated to Canada to start a new life after World War II.

Later on Saturday, the pair traveled to French-speaking Quebec province, where they toured a flagship Montreal hospital dedicated to the care of mothers and children.

Canadian broadcaster CBC reports that Quebec's relationship with the monarchy has often been strained, with the Queen met by booing protesters on a visit to the province in 1964.

Prince William and the duchess had received a largely warm welcome since arriving in Ottawa Thursday. They had joined a crowd of almost 300,000 Canadians Friday to mark the celebration of Canada Day, on the 144th anniversary of the country's independence.

The couple's itinerary also includes stops in the Northwest Territories and Alberta.

After they wrap up their Canadian tour, the duke and duchess will head to California for three days.