Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd will undergo surgery next month to replace a weakened heart valve. Mr. Rudd made the announcement Wednesday in Brisbane, shortly before departing on a diplomatic mission to Indonesia and Africa. The foreign minister told reporters he will undergo the procedure around August 1 in either Brisbane or Sydney. Mr. Rudd […]
Australian Foreign Minister Faces August Heart Surgery
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
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Minnesota Legislature Votes to End Government Shutdown
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
Lawmakers in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota have passed a budget deal expected to end the state’s crippling 20-day government shutdown — one of the longest in recent U.S. history. Minnesota’s Republican-controlled legislature approved the last of 12 measures needed to end the impasse early on Wednesday during a special session. Democratic Governor Mark […]
Afghan Taliban Denies Leader’s Reported Death
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 5:45 am (UTC-5)
The Afghan Taliban has denied that its leader Mullah Omar has died, saying a text message announcing his death was a fake. A Taliban spokesman said Wednesday the message was sent after the group’s phones and website were hacked, and blamed U.S. intelligence agencies. Omar has been reported dead before, including in March when an […]
Libya’s TNC Meets with French President
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
Two members of Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council are meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday amid international efforts to further support the Libyan opposition. The two representatives are visiting the French leader in Paris. France was the first country to officially recognize the rebel council as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people. Several nations, […]
US Experts See North Koreans Turning to Informal Markets
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
An American expert on North Korea says a growing number of people in the impoverished state are depending on informal markets to make up for shortages of food and other necessities. Stephen Linton, chairman of the Eugene Bell Foundation, told an audience in Washington Tuesday that the communist government turns a blind eye to many […]
Serbia Arrests Last Remaining Fugitive Sought by UN Tribunal
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
Serbian authorities say they have apprehended Goran Hadzic, the only remaining fugitive sought by the United Nations war crimes tribunal A Serbian official said on Wednesday that the leader of Croatia’s rebel Serbs during the country’s conflict in the 1990’s, has been arrested. No other details were immediately available. Hadzic went on the run following […]
Clinton Set to Stress U.S.-India Economic Ties
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 5:00 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is visiting India’s southeastern city of Chennai Wednesday, where she is set to deliver a speech on the importance of U.S.-Indian economic ties. Clinton is also scheduled to meet with representatives of U.S. companies as she closes a two-day trip to India. On Tuesday, Clinton and her Indian counterpart, […]
Asian Stocks Mostly Higher
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
Asian stock markets closed mostly higher Wednesday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained nearly one and one-quarter percent to finish at 10,006. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up nearly one-half of one percent to finish the day’s trading at 22,004. Share prices were higher in Manila, Sydney, Taipei and Wellington, but lower in Shanghai. In currency […]
Dozens Hurt as Powerful Typhoon Strikes Japan
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
One person is reported missing and dozens are injured after Typhoon Ma-on struck the southwestern Japanese island of Shikoku early Wednesday. Kyodo news says at least 47 people across 15 prefectures suffered injuries from Ma-on’s torrential rains and powerful winds, which reached at least 90 kilometers an hour. An 84-year-old man in Kochi prefecture was […]
South Koreans Protest Japan’s Claim to Dokdo Islands
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 4:35 am (UTC-5)
Dozens of South Koreans demonstrated outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Wednesday to protest a Japanese decision to bar its diplomats from flying on South Korea’s national airline for 30 days. About 100 people waved South Korean flags and chanted slogans during the protest. At one point, police intervened to prevent the demonstrators from […]
