New opinion polls show support for Japan’s government has sunk to its lowest level since Prime Minister Naoto Kan came to power two years ago. In surveys released Tuesday by NHK television and the Asahi newspaper, approval of the Democratic Party of Japan cabinet stood at about 15 percent, down from the low to mid-20s […]
Polls Show Sinking Approval for Japanese Government
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 1:16 am (UTC-5)
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French President Arrives in Afghanistan
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is making a brief unnannounced visit to Afghanistan Tuesday. President Sarkozy plans to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, top U.S. military commanders, and French soldiers during his visit. On Monday, France’s Defense Ministry said a French soldier in Afghanistan died after being accidentally shot by another French soldier. An investigation […]
China Pledges Green Energy Cooperation with Africa
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 12:45 am (UTC-5)
China says it wants to share its clean energy technology with Africa to help the continent tap into its renewable energy resources. Speaking Monday at a U.N. Environment Program forum in Nairobi, Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian said China is eager to promote green energy to the developing world through means such as technology transfer, capacity […]
UN Envoy Chides Malaysia For Suppressing Protest
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 12:35 am (UTC-5)
A United Nations human rights expert says Malaysia’s “heavy-handed” response to a demonstration for clean elections on Saturday risks undermining democratic progress in the country. Frank LaRue, an unpaid special envoy on the right to freedom of expression, said Monday that actions taken by the government before and during Saturday’s demonstration “unduly restricted the rights […]
Diplomats Fail to Agree on Reviving Mideast Peace Talks
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 12:10 am (UTC-5)
U.S. officials say group of senior international diplomats has failed to reach an agreement on how to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted a meeting late Monday in Washington with other members of the Quartet of Mideast peace mediators: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and […]
Musharraf: U.S. Suspension of Aid to Pakistan “Disastrous”
Posted July 12th, 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC-5)
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he regrets the U.S. decision to stop $800 million in military aid to Pakistan. Mr. Musharraf called the move “disastrous” on Monday, telling an audience in Houston, Texas that the aid cut-off is not in the best interest of the United States because it will weaken Pakistan’s ability to […]
Gunmen Blow Up Egyptian Gas Pipeline to Israel
Posted July 11th, 2011 at 10:40 pm (UTC-5)
Egyptian security officials say saboteurs have blown up a natural gas pipeline station that distributed supplies to Israel and Jordan. The officials say Tuesday’s massive, pre-dawn blast occurred close to the town of El-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula, near the Israeli border. The attack was the fourth on pipelines in Sinai since February, and […]
Japan: Idled Nuclear Plants to Resume Operation Only After Passing ‘Stress Test’
Posted July 11th, 2011 at 9:20 pm (UTC-5)
Japanese officials said Monday the country’s idled nuclear plants will be allowed to resume operations only after passing new two-stage “stress tests” designed to evaluate their resilience to major catastrophes. The officials said the full safety assessment is part of government efforts to restore public confidence in atomic energy after the March 11 earthquake and […]
Day of Mourning Tuesday in Russia for Volga Boat Victims
Posted July 11th, 2011 at 8:50 pm (UTC-5)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning for the more than 125 people believed killed when a tourist boat sank on the Volga River Sunday. Rescuers have recovered 64 bodies so far and say there is no hope of finding anyone else alive. Many of the victims were children who […]
Syria: Clinton Says Assad Has ‘Lost Legitmacy’
Posted July 11th, 2011 at 8:45 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has “lost legitimacy” and that the United States has no interest in his government retaining power. Clinton cautioned Mr. Assad and his supporters Monday that there is no truth to suggestions the U.S. is secretly hoping the current government emerges intact from the country’s […]
