Nuclear negotiators for Japan and South Korea have reiterated that a dialogue between the two Koreas is a precondition for returning to six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear disarmament. South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac and his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama reaffirmed their positions during a meeting Monday in the South Korean capital Seoul. […]
Japan, S. Korea Insist on Inter-Korean Dialogue Ahead of Nuclear Talks
ASEAN Wants to Re-Open Talks On Nuclear-Free Zone
The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will re-open talks with the five major nuclear powers aimed at ensuring the region is free of nuclear weapons. Surin Pitsuwan, the ASEAN secretary-general, says the grouping hopes to persuade Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States to agree to a 1995 treaty that […]
Pacific Tropical Storm Forms
U.S. weather forecasters say Tropical Storm Dora has formed in the Pacific off southern Mexico and could reach hurricane strength by Wednesday. The system, however, is expected to remain out to sea. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says in its latest advisory Monday that the tropical storm has wind speeds of 65 kilometers per […]
London Police say Reporter in Hacking Scandal Found Dead
London Police say British reporter Sean Hoare, who first revealed the News Of The World phone-hacking scandal, has been found dead. Britain’s Press Association news agency reports police say the death is not considered suspicious. The New York Times had quoted Hoare as saying phone-hacking was widely used and encouraged at the News of the […]
Obama Picks Head of New US Consumer Agency
U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated a former state attorney general to head the new federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Richard Cordray is a 52-year-old lawyer who served both as attorney general and treasurer of Ohio. He most recently has been working as director of enforcement for the consumer bureau, which began preliminary operations in […]
Israel Says to Build Hundreds of Homes in West Bank Settlements
The Israeli housing ministry said Monday it is inviting developers to bid for the construction of 336 housing units in two Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to negotiate with Israel while it builds on land the Palestinians want for a state. Instead, he has vowed to pursue […]
French Yacht Plans Breach of Gaza Blockade
Pro-Palestinian activists say a French yacht carrying members of their movement will try to breach Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The activists say the Dignity al-Karama left Greek waters on Sunday and was traveling slowly in international waters toward Gaza with 16 people on board, mostly French citizens. It is the […]
Yemen’s Wounded President Again Calls For Dialogue
Yemen’s wounded president Ali Abdullah Saleh has marked the 33rd anniversary of his rise to power by calling for “peaceful dialogue” to end the nation’s political stalemate. Mr. Saleh’s comments came in an editorial published Monday in several state newspapers, one day after the anniversary of his taking office in 1978. He is recovering in […]
Iraq Leader Asks China For Reconstruction Funds
Iraq has asked China to help with the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country during a visit to Beijing by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Mr. Maliki led a high-level delegation in talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday at the Great Hall of the People. An Iraqi government spokesman said Iraq would like China to […]
Obama Picks Head of New US Consumer Agency
U.S. President Barack Obama has named Richard Cordray as the head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray is a former attorney general of Ohio. His appointment needs to be confirmed by the Senate. In choosing Cordray, Mr. Obama bypassed Harvard University professor Elizabeth Warren, who has been working to set up the agency […]