US VOWS ACTION AFTER SUSPECTED RAPE IN JAPAN
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The US military promised on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to take steps “to ensure responsible behavior” for troops stationed in Japan after the suspected rape of a local woman by two servicemen sparked renewed anger over the presence of American forces. The Pentagon said that it was “working closely” with the Japanese government in the investigation into the alleged rape of a Japanese woman on Tuesday on the southern island of Okinawa, where more than 20,000 US troops are stationed. But Pentagon did not specify what steps would be unveiled after an incident that threatens to serve as a catalyst to anti-American sentiment on the island, where local leaders have long pushed for scaling back the US military’s profile.

PAKISTAN POLICE CLUELESS ON GIRL’S SHOOTING
PESHAWAR: Pakistan is no closer to arresting those responsible for shooting a prominent child rights’ activist in the head despite offering high-profile rewards, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack nine days ago on 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai who campaigned for the right to an education. But despite repeated public promises from cabinet ministers that Malala’s attackers will be brought to justice, security officials said that a joint police-military investigation still had no substantive leads. Pakistan has an appalling record on convicting terror suspects. Few cases ever come to trial and those who are charged and taken to court are often acquitted for lack of evidence.

‘PERVERSION FILES’ ON US SCOUT SEX ABUSE RELEASED
LOS ANGELES: US scout leaders covered up generations of sexual abuse inflicted on its young members, victims’ lawyers said on Thursday (Friday in Manila), as thousands of pages of so-called “perversion files” were published online. Unveiling details from the 14,500 pages of documents, the lawyers said that Boy Scouts of America still had not done enough to root out pedophiles using the youth movement to prey on minors. In response, the US scouting body’s head apologized to victims, and admitted that its response had in some cases been “plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong.” The previously confidential files reveal details of alleged abuses by more than 1,200 scout leaders and other adults between 1965 and 1985. They were released in response to an order by the Oregon Supreme Court. AFP