Asian stock markets closed mostly lower Friday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped more than one-half of one percent to finish at 9,351. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped well over one percent to finish the day’s trading at 21,695. Share prices were lower in Manila, Shanghai, Taipei and Wellington, but higher in Sydney. In currency trading, […]
Report: China to Boost Maritime Patrol Forces
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media say the country will expand its offshore maritime patrol force within the next decade, as tensions increase between Beijing and its South China Sea neighbors over a set of islands said to hold vast reserves of natural resources. The China Daily newspaper says the China Maritime Surveillance Forces will add 16 aircraft […]
Greece Names New Finance Minister
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 4:05 am (UTC-5)
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has named a new finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle designed to tackle the country’s crippling debt crisis. A government spokesman announced Friday that current Defense Minister Evangelos Venizelos will be the new finance minister, replacing George Papaconstantinou, who moves to the environment ministry. European Union economic chief Olli Rehn […]
Mazda to Build $500 Million Factory in Mexico
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
Mazda Motor Corporation says it will build a $500 million factory in Mexico with the help of trading company Sumito Corporation. The Japanese automaker said Friday construction on the plant will begin later this year in the central Mexican state of Gunajuato. Mazda says the first vehicles are expected to roll off the assembly line […]
Reports: South Korea Deploys Long-Range Missiles Near Border
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 3:00 am (UTC-5)
South Korean news outlets say the military has deployed precision-guided missiles near the North Korean border that are capable of striking Pyongyang. The military recently deployed a set of surface-to-surface missiles after North Korea threatened to launch military strikes in retaliation against the South for using images of North Korea’s ruling family as targets for […]
Japan’s Nikkei Falls Again
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 2:35 am (UTC-5)
Japanese markets closed lower Friday, while the U.S. dollar is unchanged against the Japanese yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped more than one-half of one percent to finish at 9,351. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 80.63 yen. The Taipei market finished the day’s trading at 8,636, a loss of nearly one-quarter of one […]
As World Condemnations Grow, Syrian Forces Widen Assault in Northwest
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 2:15 am (UTC-5)
Syrian security forces are continuing their assault on cities and villages in the country’s restive northwest, as world leaders are condemning the crackdown. The Syrian news agency Sana and rights activists said Thursday that military units equipped with dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers deployed near Khan Sheikhoun, circled Maarat al-Numaan and attacked two […]
South Korea Rejects North Korea’s Demand to Return Defectors
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
South Korea says it will not send back nine North Korean asylum seekers who crossed the maritime border by boat nearly one week ago, despite Pyongyang’s demand for their return. The nine North Koreans were discovered late Saturday drifting in two small boats in the Yellow Sea. South Korea’s Red Cross sent a message to […]
Mexico Arrest Alleged Drug Cartel Boss
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 12:40 am (UTC-5)
Mexican federal police have arrested the man accused of leading the enforcement unit of the Juarez drug cartel. They say Marco Guzman, nicknamed “El Brad Pitt”, was taken into custody on Wednesday in Chihuahua state. Police say he was involved in a 2010 car bomb attack that killed a police official and two of his […]
Zawahri: From a Life of Comfort to Hunted Terrorist
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC-5)
Ayman al-Zawahri, the new leader of the al-Qaida terror network, was born into a life of comfort in Egypt but shaped by life experiences into a feared radical Islamic terrorist. He is a surgeon by training but an ideological firebrand by choice. Now he is replacing Osama bin Laden, who was killed last month by […]
