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TOKYO
? Seiji Maehara, a security expert and former transport minister, has been named Japan’s new foreign minister.

Maehara, 48, will replace Katsuya Okada, who will take up the No. 2 post in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.

The Cabinet shuffle took place after Prime Minister Naoto Kan a leadership challenge earlier this week.

Maehara must address a diplomatic spat with China over a boat collision near some disputed islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, as well as the nettlesome problem over the relocation of a controversial U.S. Marine base on Okinawa.

There are currently over 10,000 British Army troops deployed in Afghanistan. Several thousand others are deployed across Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Middle East, Sierra Leone and Pakistan.Source: MoD and IISS

The new-look website, which will roll-out to users in the coming days, could
help to make the Twitter.com homepage more attractive to users. Currently,
many Twitter users use third-party applications, such as TweetDeck or
Twitter for iPhone, to access the microblogging service. But an overhaul to
the Twitter site could persuade more users to update their status and
interact with other users that way.

?Its about getting more out of Twitter in a lot less time, said Evan
Williams, Twitters chief executive.

Twitter has reached agreements with a number of third-party providers of
Twitter photo- and video-sharing to integrate their services directly in to
Twitter.com. Companies such as TwitPic, yFrog, Ustream, Vimeo and YouTube
have all signed up to the service.

?Improving consumption of Twitter-based content is important not just for
Twitter, but for interactive marketers as well, said Augie Ray, social
media analyst at Forrester Research.

Around 90 million tweets are sent on the microblogging service every day.

By The Associated Press

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 4:10 a.m.

NEW YORK ?
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez is due in court in New York City on assault charges. He is accused of attacking his girlfriend’s father outside a family lounge at Citi Field.

Rodriguez is scheduled for a routine hearing on Tuesday.

He was arrested after the Mets lost to Colorado on Aug. 11.

He tore a ligament in the thumb on his pitching hand during the altercation and had to have surgery. He was placed on the disqualified list. The team says he wouldn’t be paid until he’s off the list.

Prosecutors say the four-time All-Star was angry after the loss and took it out on his family.

After his initial court appearance, the judge issued orders of protection for Rodriguez to stay away from his girlfriend and her father.

By The Associated Press

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 2:15 a.m.

MOGADISHU, Somalia ?
Authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland say their troops have surrounded up to 300 hundred Ethiopian rebels they say entered their territory illegally.

Somaliland’s military chief Gen. Elmi Robleh Furur said Tuesday the men were part of Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front. He displayed weapons, military training manuals written in Amharic and Somali and a wad of Eritrean bank notes allegedly seized from two men who had become separated from the group.

Eritrea has long been accused of financing and supporting rebels in its much larger neighbor, Ethiopia, with whom Somaliland enjoys good relations.

Somaliland has declared itself independent of war-ravaged Somalia but is not recognized by most countries.