Australia’s economy shrank in the first quarter of 2011 due to a number of natural disasters that struck the country’s key mining and agricultural sectors in the country’s northeast. The 1.2 percent drop in gross domestic product announced Wednesday by the government’s Bureau of Statistics is the biggest contraction since 1991, when Australia experienced its […]
Cyclones, Floods Take a Toll on Australian Economy
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
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Asia Markets Close Mixed
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
Major Asian stock markets closed mostly higher Wednesday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained more than one-quarter of one percent to finish at 9,720. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost nearly one-quarter of one percent to finish the day’s trading at 23,626. Share prices were higher in Manila, Mumbai, Singapore, Taipei and Wellington, but lower in Bangkok, […]
Gates Says Afghan Warnings Reflect “Pain” of War
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says warnings about civilian casualties from Afghan President Hamid Karzai reflect the “pain and suffering” the Afghan people have endured after 30 years of war. Gates said Tuesday it is important for both sides to jointly investigate civilian casualties and that Mr. Karzai and the Afghan people recognize the U.S.-led […]
FIFA Chief Vows Broader Vote for World Cup Sites
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
The president of football’s world governing body is vowing to reform the way future World Cup host cities are selected. FIFA chief Sepp Blatter pledged Wednesday that all 208 of the group’s members would be allowed to pick the sites for the quadrennial matches. Currently, FIFA’s 24-member executive committee selects the winning World Cup host […]
North Korea Claims South Secretly Offered Series of Summits
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
North Korea says it has turned down a secret proposal from its southern neighbor for a series of three summit meetings to be held over the next 10 months. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported the offer Wednesday, saying it was made on May 9 at a previously undisclosed meeting in Beijing. It […]
Police Say 1 Dead in Pakistan Checkpoint Attack
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
Police in northwestern Pakistan say about 200 militants have crossed the border from Afghanistan and attacked a security checkpoint, killing at least one person. Authorities said the attack happened Wednesday in the town of Shaltalo, in the Dir region along the border with Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Militants have launched a number of attacks against Pakistani […]
Japan’s Nikkei Loses Ground
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 5:35 am (UTC-5)
Japanese markets closed higher Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar is lower against the Japanese yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained more than one-quarter of one percent to finish at 9,720. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 81.39, a loss of just over one-tenth of a yen from Tuesday. Gold is trading at $1,531.15 an […]
At Least 37 Dead in Yemen Fighting
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 5:30 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Yemen say at least 37 people were killed in heavy fighting overnight in the capital, Sana’a. Battles raged on several fronts as a tenuous ceasefire announced Friday broke down. The fighting in Sana’a erupted early Tuesday with breakaway army units loyal to Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar attacking a number of government buildings. Opposition tribesmen […]
Mladic in The Hague for War Crimes Trial
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic has spent his first night in an isolation cell at The Hague, where he is awaiting trial on genocide charges. As a helicopter hovered overhead, a convoy of four black vehicles brought the 69-year-old Mladic to the prison on Tuesday. Mladic was arrested in Serbia last week after […]
US Senator Arrives in Burma for Talks
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 5:20 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Senator John McCain has arrived in Burma for a three-day visit during which he expects to meet with senior government officials and with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The senator was expected to meet government officials later Wednesday in Naypyitaw, the Burmese administrative capital. He plans to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi […]
