U.S., Britain most desirable spots for foreign workers - poll

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has leapfrogged Australia to become the world's second most desirable location for professionals looking to live and work abroad, trailing only the United States, a survey found on Wednesday.

Worries about Britain's fragile economy, high household bills and squeezed wages were eclipsed by its growing reputation as a centre for fast-expanding technology companies, the poll said.

The United States held on to its status as the most popular location for professionals moving overseas, followed by Britain, Australia, Singapore, Canada and Switzerland.

"The United States is still the dominant force, but the UK is definitely on the march," said Dan Fox of recruitment company Hydrogen, which commissioned the survey of 2,000 people in 90 countries.

"We are seeing a lot of Europeans coming to work in the UK. It is all about wanting to work for the up-and-coming companies."

The biggest motivators for staff looking to work abroad were better career chances, new experiences and the potential to earn more, the survey said.

Full survey results are online: http://www.hydrogengroup.com/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=00PD000000Hj92wMAB

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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From Benghazi to Syria: Obama’s Bush-league mistakes in foreign policy

By Walter Shapiro

Most second-term presidents become fixated on global affairs because the world beyond our shores, with all its strife and misery, often seems more malleable than life in Washington, with its fractious Congress and waning electoral mandate. The trick, though, for a foreign policy president, is to be good at it—and these days those skills appear to be eluding Barack Obama.

This week’s biggest rebuke to Obama foreign policy was not Wednesday’s House hearing on Benghazi with its wrenching narrative of the September night that Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in Libya. Nor was it Friday morning’s revelation  of new Benghazi-related documents. More embarrassing was a front-page article in last Sunday’s New York Times detailing how Obama erred last August when he impetuously declared that Syria’s use of chemical weapons in its civil war would be a “red line.”

It’s a simple rule: Presidents should never make threats until they have worked out how they would enforce them. But Obama violated it with his stern, but ill-considered warning to Syrian strongman Bashir Assad. The Times article quotes one anonymous top government official claiming, “What Obama said in August was unscripted” and “nuance got completely dropped.” Barry Pavel, a former national security adviser to Obama, said flatly, “I’m not convinced it was thought through.”

Current and former foreign policy advisers usually fall on their swords to protect a president’s reputation for sagacity. Only long afterwards, when the “if only he had listened to me” memoirs are published, do we finally get a glimpse of what really happened in the White House. That’s why it’s telling that Obama insiders are already willing to trash the president for his all-bluster “red line” rhetoric.

The reason for the finger-pointing at Obama is that America is now caught in a loose-lips-create-slips dilemma. Without any good policy options available and a growing isolationist mood among voters, Obama must decide what to do in response to highly probable evidence that forces loyal to Assad used banned chemical weapons. Arming the rebels, many of whom are Islamic militants, carries its own risk, yet doing nothing makes American appear feckless and irresolute.

Playing for time, Obama has been reduced to linguistic hair-splitting. Asked at a Tuesday press conference about perceptions that Syria has crossed his supposed red line, Obama said lamely, “I don't make decisions based on ‘perceived.’ And I can't organize international coalitions around ‘perceived.’ We've tried that in the past, by the way, and it didn't work out well.”

That, of course, was a reference to George W. Bush and his fallacious weapons-of-mass-destruction pretext for the Iraq War. As a presidential candidate, Obama presented himself as the antithesis of this kind of shoot-first foreign policy impetuousness. But, as president, it’s startling how much Obama resembles Bush in many aspects of national security policy.

Take Guantanamo, where currently about 100 of the remaining detainees are waging a hunger strike. Asked at a recent press conference about the Bush-era Cuban detention camp that he has repeatedly vowed to close, Obama sounded more like an outside critic than a president: “It hurts us in terms of international standing. … It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed.”

Despite intermittant efforts by Obama since taking office, Congress has refused to allow the president to close Guantanamo. But that does not make Obama a helpless bystander with no control over this symbolic blot on America’s international reputation.
 
The president has refused to use his existing legal authority (using waivers from the Defense Department) to repatriate 86 low-risk detainees, mostly from Yemen, whose cases have been reviewed by American authorities. Some of these prisoners were rank-and-file al-Qaida soldiers back in 2001 and others were probably picked up by mistake. But today these detainees would be less of a threat sent back in their home countries then they are as enduring symbols of an American Gulag on Guantanamo.

Then there are the drones. Bush may have initiated the airborne assassination program in  2004, but Obama has made it a hallmark of his response to terrorism. With his drone policy, Obama has embraced three of the worst aspects of Bush-era national security policy: an obsession with secrecy; a contorted view of legal norms, especially the definition of “imminent threat”; and a refusal to consider that American tactics may create more terrorists than they kill. In Pakistan alone, based on the best independent statistics, Obama has ordered six times as many drone strikes as ever Bush did.
 
The silence from most Democrats on these troubling aspects of Obama foreign policy has been dispiriting. Had Bush made toothless threats to Syria, force fed prisoners in Guantanamo or rained death from the air in Pakistan on a weekly basis, liberals in Congress would be sputtering with outrage. Instead, with a few conspicuous exceptions—like Oregon Senator Ron Wyden on drones—the dominant feeling appears to be that if Obama does it, it has to be right.

Ever since George McGovern lost 49 states to Richard Nixon in 1972, Democrats have cowered in terror at the thought of being branded as soft on national security. This may partly explain Obama’s timorousness on Guantanamo and the president’s embrace of drone strikes as a way of being tough against terrorists without risking American casualties.

The Republican obsession with Benghazi is rooted in the belief that the Obama administration was reluctant to label the 2012 Libyan attacks as “terrorism” because that would undermine the president’s narrative in an election year. Wednesday’s hearing—built around the testimony of three mid-level State Department officials—failed to prove anything close to causation. On Friday morning, however, ABC News reported that the State Department had insisted references to prior warnings on terrorism should be airbrushed out of the initial CIA talking points on the Banghazi attack.

This was the briefing document that UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who drew the short straw as the administration’s TV talker, relied on when she made the rounds of Sunday-morning interviews the week of the attacks. Now, based on the ABC News story,  it seems clear that Victoria Nuland, a career foreign service officer who was Hillary Clinton’s spokesperson at State, had insisted to the White House that these talking points be watered down.

Even now, so much about Benghazi remains murky, including how big a scandal it will actually prove to be. Were Nuland’s editing suggestions primarily designed to politically protect Obama and Clinton? Or was this, at its core, a Washington bureaucratic battle over which agency should be blamed for the deaths in Libya—State or the CIA?

Security was obviously lax in Benghazi. But was that because Stevens was a fearless diplomat who hated hunkering down behind concrete walls? Or was this related to the CIA’s still-mysterious role on the ground in Benghazi? And did the administration’s self-congratulatory belief in the Libyan revolution play a role in the relaxation of vigilence? Remember, Libya was Obama’s success story from the Arab Spring—the nation where a dictator was toppled by America boldly leading from behind.

Despite the documents discovered by ABC News, my guess is that the tragedy in Benghazi and its muddled aftermath had far more to do with human error than major-league conspiracy. In fact, given the way that Obama has handled his “red line” in Syria, the case for human error seems quite compelling.

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Gunmen surround Libyan foreign ministry to push demands

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Arsenal will keep with tradition and form a guard of honour for new Premier League champions Manchester United when the sides meet at The Emirates on Sunday. "That is part of the tradition of English football and I want that, of course, to be respected," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told a news conference on Friday. "I'm French, I work in England and the English tradition should be respected. When you work somewhere abroad you have to respect the culture of the country," he added. ...

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Gunmen surround Libya Foreign Ministry

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A Libyan military official says about 200 armed men are surrounding the Foreign Ministry building in Tripoli, demanding the ministry to reform and hire former fighters who helped overthrow former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Esam al-Naas said 38 trucks, some mounted with machineguns, had surrounded the ministry on Sunday. The men allege that many supporters of the old regime are still occupying senior positions in the ministry and its missions abroad.

He said negotiations with the protesters are underway and that no one has entered the ministry building.

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G8 foreign ministers meet in London to address Syria, North Korea

By Natalie Huet

LONDON (Reuters) - G8 foreign ministers meet on Wednesday in London, where host Britain will press its case for doing more to help the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad and end a devastating civil war.

Responding to threats from North Korea of an imminent conflict with its southern neighbor will also be high on the agenda of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia - gathered in Britain's capital till Thursday.

Leaders of the Syrian National Coalition will be present on the sidelines of the G8 and hold talks with those foreign ministers willing to meet them, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters on Tuesday.

Hague, his French counterpart Laurent Fabius and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to hold talks with the civilian opposition figures.

"I will be joining and convening some of those meetings to discuss the urgent humanitarian needs and the urgent need for a political and diplomatic breakthrough on Syria," Hague said.

France and Britain are expected once again to press the case for amending or lifting an arms embargo on Syria to support the outgunned rebels waging a two-year-old uprising against Assad and help end a civil war that has already claimed an estimated 70,000 lives and displaced millions of people.

"This is turning into the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century so far, and we cannot watch this happen," Hague said, adding that humanitarian aid, while indispensable, would not alone solve the Syrian crisis.

"We certainly believe that it's necessary to continue, if the situation continues to deteriorate, to increase the practical help we give to the Syrian opposition," Hague said.

ARMS TALKS

Paris and London say they want to raise pressure on Assad and try to force him to the negotiating table by allowing the supply of arms to the rebels.

But other G8 countries such as Russia and Germany have opposed the move, fearing it could lead to weapons falling into the hands of Islamist militants and fuel a regional conflict.

Changing the EU arms ban on Syria, which must be renewed or amended by June 1, needs backing from all 27 EU states. Britain and France have said they could act alone if they do not get their way.

Hague said Britain had made no decision yet to supply lethal weapons to the Syrian opposition, but that he would discuss the matter with his French counterpart Fabius on Wednesday.

"We think that as things stand today there is going to be a very strong case for further amendments to the embargo or the lifting of the embargo," he said.

G8 foreign ministers will also discuss how to respond to North Korea, which has waved threats of imminent conflict against the United States and South Korea and on Tuesday warned foreigners to evacuate the South to avoid being caught in a war.

Russia said on Tuesday the G8 was in agreement in rejecting North Korea's recent provocative behavior and urged all sides to pursue diplomacy to calm the increasingly tense situation in northeast Asia.

Hague said that, just like Iran, nuclear-ambitious North Korea had the choice between engaging in "realistic" international talks or facing increased international sanctions.

"If they continue on this path ... they will end up with a broken country that is isolated," Hague said, noting that even longtime ally China was disapproving of North Korea's actions.

Other than top international issues, Hague said foreign ministers planned to discuss Burma, Somalia, cyber-security and the issue of preventing sexual violence in warzones.

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Jon Hemming)

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Italy foreign minister quits over India case

ROME (AP) — Italy's foreign minister resigned Tuesday to protest his government's decision to send two marines back to India to face trial in the deaths of two fishermen.

Minister Giulio Terzi made the surprise announcement to Parliament after offering a report on the case of the Italian marines to lawmakers. He denied the government had no knowledge of his March 11 decision not to send the two sailors back to face trial in Italy.

"I can no longer be part of this government," Terzi declared.

A career diplomat, Terzi said he was quitting in solidarity with the marines and because he disagreed with the government's decision to send them back but his "voice was not listened to." He also said wanted to safeguard Italy's image abroad.

Caretaker Premier Mario Monti expressed "astonishment" at the decision and said in a statement that he had not been informed ahead of time, even though they had met earlier in the day to discuss Terzi's report to lawmakers.

Monti said he would address the case in both houses of Parliament on Wednesday.

President Giorgio Napolitano, in the meantime, gave Monti the foreign ministry portfolio. Monti's caretaker government remains in place until a new government can be formed following inconclusive national elections last month. Center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who is in consultations on forming a new government, declined comment on the case.

The sailors — Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone — were part of a military security team on a cargo ship when they fired at a fishing boat in 2012, killing two Indian fishermen. The marines said they mistook them for pirates.

The marines had been allowed to return to Italy to vote in the Feb. 24-25 national election and were scheduled to return to India on March 22 — as they had after being allowed to spend Christmas with the families in Italy.

Terzi announced on March 11 that they would not return to India, expressing concern that their rights were not being respected there. Italy has insisted that the shooting happened in international waters and that Rome should have jurisdiction.

Italy, however, sent them back last week, saying it had received written assurances that India would not impose the death penalty in the event of a conviction.

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Chinese leader bolsters Russian ties on first foreign trip

By Alexei Anishchuk and Timothy Heritage

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of relations with Russia as a counterweight to U.S. influence by visiting Moscow on his first foreign trip as president, and secured more oil to fuel China's growing economy.

Although relations between Moscow and Beijing have rarely been smooth, they have improved in the past decade and Xi highlighted this by signing energy, trade and political deals on Friday to strengthen ties between them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to blunt U.S. influence overseas, while China is grappling with the expanded military and economic interest the United States has displayed in Asia since 2011.

Xi became the first foreign guest to be met in the Kremlin by an honorary cavalry escort created by Putin in 2002, officials said, and looked at ease with the Russian leader in its glittering halls despite the formality of the occasion.

Putin, 60, greeted Xi with a firm handshake and a grin then ushered him down a red carpet past a long line of officials and into the Kremlin's gilded Green Room.

The meeting was carefully scripted and any disharmony was glossed over. But Putin looked more comfortable with Xi than with the French and German leaders, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel, who raised human rights concerns during recent visits.

"I get the impression that you and I always treat each other with an open soul, our characters are alike. We always speak in a good manner, you and I are good friends," Xi, 59, told Putin as they began their talks, sitting in gold-trimmed chairs.

His remark recalled former U.S. President George Bush's declaration on meeting Putin in 2001 that he had looked him in the eye and "was able to get a sense of his soul".

The crowning point of the visit was an agreement between Russia's biggest oil producer, Rosneft, to gradually increase oil supplies to China to 45-50 million tonnes a year - three times the current level.

Rosneft, meanwhile, will be granted a $2 billion loan from the China Development Bank and a $2 billion deal was announced by Russian and Chinese companies to develop coal resources in eastern Siberia.

But they did not agree on a long-sought deal on supplies of pipeline gas to China, underlining the lingering mistrust that has dogged relations for decades.

Even so, Putin declared the visit a success.

"The new Chinese leader's decision to choose our country on his first foreign visit highlights the special nature of the strategic partnership between Russia and China," he said.

NEW PRESIDENT, NEW IMPULSE

Xi arrived in Moscow with first lady Peng Liyuan, a singer whose first step into the international limelight was an instant Internet sensation in China, where her glamorous appearance won her an immediate fan club.

There was no sign, however, of Putin's estranged wife, Lyudmila. She was last seen at a state event last May, when Putin was inaugurated for a six-year third term.

Putin has said he wants to "catch the Chinese wind in our economic sail". China's economy is the world's second largest and could outstrip the U.S. economy during Xi's 10-year term.

Mutual trade has more than doubled in five years to hit $87.5 billion in 2012. But the trade volume is still about five times smaller than Russia's with the European Union and far smaller than China's trade with the United States.

Relations between Russia and China were often uneasy during the Soviet era even though Moscow was also then under communist rule. But the two U.N. Security Council members' solidarity on important global issues has strengthened in recent years.

"China and Russia have similar or identical positions on key international and regional issues," Xi said, reading from a statement after talks and a document-signing ceremony, with Putin sitting beside him behind a large white desk.

"We intend to still more decisively defend the aims and principles of the U.N. Charter and the commonly accepted norms of international relations, to protect justice and equality in the world and provide for peace, stability and prosperity."

The two countries have three times blocked Western-backed measures on the conflict in Syria despite talk of grumbling in Beijing, and Russia has followed China's lead on North Korea. They gave no details of their plans for reinforced cooperation and reporters were not allowed to put questions to them.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Grove and Steve Gutterman; Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Erica Billingham)

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China's new leader to meet Russia's Putin on first foreign trip

By Thomas Grove

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Decorated with Chinese paintings and red silk armchairs, a huge business complex on the edge of Moscow is the kind of enterprise China's new leader Xi Jinping wants to nurture when he arrives on Friday in Russia for his first overseas trip.

Just off the traffic-choked highway ringing Moscow, a jumble of Chinese and Russian firms, a 400-room hotel and conference venues sprawl over the 200-square-kilometre (77 square miles), $350 million Greenwood complex, which was built by a Beijing-controlled consortium with materials shipped from China.

Just as Xi will be alert to economic opportunities, so his host, President Vladimir Putin, will aim to "catch the Chinese wind in our economic sail", as he phrased it a year ago, just before his-re-election to the presidency.

That desire will grow stronger if China overtakes the United States as the world's largest economy during Xi's 10-year term.

The world's largest energy producer, Russia, and its most voracious consumer, China, want to bolster their common clout as a financial and geopolitical counterweight to Europe and the United States, whose "Asia pivot" regional strategy has caused concern in China.

Putin and Xi, less than a year apart in age, echoed one another in interviews before the visit, each saying the Chinese leader's choice of Moscow as his first destination was evidence of the "strategic partnership" between the nations.

A smiling Xi, 59, recalled that he read Russian greats such as Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy in his younger days. Putin, 60, said Russian-Chinese relations were at "the best in their centuries-long history".

The two U.N. Security Council members' solidarity on important global issues has, if anything, strengthened in recent years.

They have joined forces three times to block Western-backed measures on the conflict in Syria despite talk of grumbling in Beijing, and Russia has followed China's lead on North Korea - two issues likely to come up in talks on Friday.

They have negotiated alongside the West on Iran's nuclear program but watered down past sanctions in the Security Council and opposed new punitive measures as counterproductive.

Russia has added to Japan's woes over territorial disputes with Beijing by playing up its control over an archipelago claimed by Tokyo.

But that lockstep movement on the global stage has not translated into easy agreement on bilateral energy deals.

ELUSIVE GAS DEAL

While industry sources said a package of deals to be signed would make Beijing Russia's top customer for oil, prospects for a long-sought agreement on supplies of pipeline gas to China, stymied for years by price disputes, were dimmer.

Xi's presidency is seen as a chance for a fresh start in such talks, which have foundered on price. Putin's spokesman spoke of a "positive dynamic" on Thursday but said there was no deal ready for signing.

In his interview, released by the Kremlin hours before Xi's planned arrival, Putin said bilateral trade had more than doubled in five years and reached $87.5 billion in 2012.

"The two countries want more economic cooperation and we're not just talking about oil and gas companies, but also smaller companies as well. They are at the fore," said Yevgeny Kolesov, director of Optim Consulting, the first Russian consulting company to open in China.

But the trade volume is about five times smaller than Russia's with the European Union, and also far smaller than China's trade with the United States.

The rising influence of China, with its proximity to Russia's sparsely populated eastern parts and nearly 10 times more people, has given rise in Russia to worries that China may one day challenge Moscow's influence on its own territory.

Russia has created a separate ministry to channel resources to its far east, which complains of neglect and underfunding more than 20 years after the Soviet Union collapsed.

FAR EAST FEARS

Defense analysts say Russian efforts to allocate military resources, including air defenses and nuclear submarines, to its eastern coast is an effort to counter China's rising military might - even as Russia sells weapons to its neighbor.

Like their populations, their economies are uneven. China's gross domestic product grew 7.8 percent last year, while Russia's growth was about 3.5 percent and was close to stagnating in February, with 0.1 percent year-on-year growth.

"Economically, Russia is very concerned about the balance ... but it hasn't shown up on a political level yet," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs.

In some ways, the partnership between Moscow and Beijing - awkward allies even when both were ruled by communists - may be more tactical than strategic.

For now, China wants to show it does not want problems on its border with Russia - the site of clashes half a century ago - said Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank.

It also wants the Russian oil that helps keep its economy flowing.

"The Chinese have been tremendously successful at playing the Russians to their own advantage, much better than the Americans have done with Russia," Trenin said.

Xi and Putin are expected to attend a summit next week of the BRICS group of emerging market economies, which also includes Brazil, India and host South Africa, and the Chinese leader will visit other African nations Beijing is courting.

The Chinese leader is bringing first lady Peng Liyuan on the state visit, which has left Kremlin watchers wondering whether Putin's wife, Lyudmila, will make a rare public appearance.

(Additional Reporting by Sonia Elks and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Steve Gutterman and Will Waterman)

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Madeleine Albright: Foreign Policy Has Become 'Much Harder'

After a roundtable appearance on "This Week," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright joined Martha Raddatz for an ABC News web exclusive. Albright discussed her career, gave advice for the current Secretary of State John Kerry, and talked about how U.S. foreign policy has changed since she served in the Clinton administration.

"I think that in many ways it's gotten much harder because we have this evolution of what we call 'non-state actors.' Various, obviously, terrorist groups that roam around. It's very hard to figure out what tools to use against them. And lack of faith, frankly, in the various international institutions that exist. It's uncharted waters in many ways."

See more of Albright's responses to viewer questions from Facebook and Twitter below:

Are you and Mrs. Clinton friends? Did you offer her any input during her time as our secretary of state?

"Absolutely…when she was first lady and I was secretary we did a lot of tag team stuff together. Traveling abroad. She was one of America's great ambassadors. All her skills were put to work. I thought she was a fantastic secretary of state."

Would Hillary Clinton run for president?

"I have no idea."

Is there anything she would like to go back and change?

"I would like to change something that happened when I was ambassador at the UN was our lack of help in Rwanda. I think we all think about that. I also do wish that we had been able to have Middle East peace that President Clinton worked so hard on."

What one key piece of advice would you like to give Secretary Kerry?

"Well, to understand what it is to represent the United States-that it's the greatest honor to be able to sit behind a sign that says "United States" and be able to use the goodness of American power to make a difference."

Lightning Round:

iPhone or Blackberry?

"Both"

Favorite movie of the year?

"'Lincoln.' Second place, 'Argo'"

Comfort food?

"Frozen Yogurt."

Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.

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American's Suspicious Death in Singapore Brings Foreign Minister to Lawmakers

The suspicious death of an American employed in Singapore prompted that country's foreign minister into a meetings on Capitol Hill today.

Shane Todd was a young engineer working for a top technology firm in the island nation when he was found dead in his apartment. Local police ruled it an apparent suicide, but the circumstances of his death and his employer's connection to a Chinese corporation known to the U.S. government as a national security concern have percolated the incident into the public sphere.

Today, Singapore Foreign Minister K Shanmugan met with Montana Sen. Max Baucus, who along with that state's other senator, Jon Tester, has been pushing for American investigators to take the lead in reviewing the case.

In a press conference before the meeting, Baucus said progress on the case has been slow, and said he'd press the foreign minister to allow the FBI full access to the evidence in the case.

"We need independent, third party verification of whatever the Singaporean police has been saying," he said, adding he hoped the Federal Bureau of Investigation could fill that role. Baucus says he spoke with the FBI Director Robert Mueller about the issue Monday.

The senator says he has not been satisfied with the limited access granted to U.S. investigators thus far.

"So far we've been unable to get the answers we need to know what happened to Shane Todd," Baucus said.

Todd's family has reported their son was in fear of his life at the time of his death, and had recently resigned from his position at Singaporean tech firm IME's research department and made preparations to move back to the United States.

The Montana native claimed his work on superconductors for the company may have been passed to China's Huawei corporation, for use in systems that could involve jamming American radar.

Severely inaccurate crime scene reports and a suicide note that made up family memories prompted the Todds to bring the issue to their state senators, asking for a congressional investigation.

Baucus has repeatedly noted that there was no clear evidence the young engineer was murdered, but the strangeness of the elements of the incident "adds up."

"It seems fishy," he said. "I have deep concerns about potential foul play and potential breaches of national security but I don't have the facts yet."

When asked by reporters, Baucus said the diplomatic relations between the country had not changed, but indicated the government would respond if it found evidence Singapore had been "stonewalling" investigations.

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Helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills five foreign troops: NATO

KABUL (Reuters) - A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan killed five members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, NATO said on Tuesday, although there were no immediate details about the cause of the crash.

A brief ISAF statement said the crash occurred on Monday.

"The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the incident," the NATO statement said.

It also did not give any details about the nationality of the troops killed, although U.S. and British forces make up the bulk of the NATO-led contingent in Afghanistan's south. Australian troops also still operate in the south.

The crash came on the same day that two U.S. troops and five Afghan police and soldiers were killed in a so-called insider attack by a person in an Afghan military uniform in the restive east of the country.

New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel left Afghanistan earlier on Monday after a difficult first trip to Kabul.

His trip was marred by a suicide bomb attack near where he was holding a meeting, and differences with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who accused the United States of colluding with the Taliban.

Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Afghanistan and the Taliban and others often claim to have shot them down, although such claims by insurgents are often exaggerated.

Last August, 11 people, including seven U.S. soldiers, were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan.

The worst such incident was in August 2011, when the Taliban shot down a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, killing all 38 people on board, including 25 U.S. special operations troops.

(Reporting by Paul Tait; Editing by Michael Perry)

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China likely to appoint expert on North Korea, Japan as foreign minister

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is likely to appoint an expert on Japan and North Korea as its next foreign minister, three independent sources said, in a measure of Beijing's resolve to improve difficult relationships with two of its closest neighbors.

Barring last-minute changes, Wang Yi, 59, China's ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007, was likely to be appointed foreign minister during the annual full session of parliament next month, the sources said.

A fluent Japanese speaker, he was China's main representative to the six-party talks on North Korea from 2007-2008, and was a counselor and later minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo from 1989 to 1994.

"China is sending a signal that Sino-Japanese relations will be the most important of important issues," a source with ties to the leadership told Reuters, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for speaking to foreign reporters.

Tensions over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea - claimed by Beijing as Diaoyu and by Tokyo as Senkaku - flared last year, raising fears of a miscalculation and an unintended military confrontation.

Wang was to replace Yang Jiechi, 62, who was tipped to be promoted to foreign policy tsar as one of five state councillors, the sources said. The post is senior to that of foreign minister.

The source with ties to the leadership said deteriorating ties with Japan could be improved.

"Wang Yi is like Zhou Enlai - a modest gentleman with a scholarly bearing," the source said, referring to China's first premier and foreign minister. "He will exercise restraint, is rational and wise."

The islands, also claimed by Taiwan, are one of several maritime territorial disputes involving China that have worsened as Washington shifts its security focus to Asia.

Wang's two immediate predecessors were former ambassadors to Washington before taking over the foreign policy portfolio.

But mending fences with Tokyo will be no easy task.

"Japan must first recognize the Diaoyus are disputed," a second source said. "If Japan insists there is no dispute, then what is there to talk about?"

Since 2008, Wang has been minister of the cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office, which implements policy towards the self-ruled democratic island Beijing claims as its own.

During his time in that role, he has overseen steadily warming ties with Taiwan, including the signing of landmark trade and economic agreements.

From 2007 to 2008, Wang was China's point man on six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea conducted a third nuclear test on February 12 and is ready to go ahead with a fourth and possibly fifth test.

China is the North's only major ally and while it appears to be exasperated with the isolated state's belligerent behavior and is likely to agree with U.N. sanctions, it is not likely to cut food or fuel supplies.

"Wang Yi is familiar with the North Korean issue, but it is complicated and more difficult (to resolve) than scaling the heavens unless the United States is willing to help," the second source said.

Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, 60, was widely expected to become minister of the Communist Party's International Department, which deals with foreign political parties, including Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the sources said. Zhang was vice minister of the department from 2000 to 2009.

Another vice foreign minister, Cui Tiankai, 60, was to be named ambassador to the United States, the sources said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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