Japanese share prices ended higher Monday, while the dollar rose against the yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index rose 1.37 percent , to close at 9,086. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 76.84 yen, up one-tenth of a yen from late Friday. Gold was selling at $1,741.41 an ounce.
Egypt Resumes Trial of Former Leader Mubarak
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Egypt has resumed the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak, who earlier this month pleaded not guilty to charges that he ordered the killing of 850 protesters during the uprising that drove him from power. Mr. Mubarak on Monday appeared in the courtroom in Cairo lying on a hospital bed, just as he did during […]
China Warns “Backpacker” US Ambassador of Heavy Burden Ahead
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media warned Monday that the joyful reception given the new U.S. ambassador in Beijing should not be mistaken for a solution to the two countries’ problems. Gary Locke, the first Chinese American to serve as U.S. ambassador to China, created a media sensation when he arrived of Friday carrying his own luggage and […]
Explosions Rock Iraqi Cities
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
Bomb blasts ripped through a number of Iraqi cities Monday, killing dozens of people. Iraqi officials say the worst violence was in the southern city of Kut where two explosions have killed at least 34 people and wounded 60 others. Police officials in the southern holy Shi’ite city of Najaf say two car bombs have […]
Activists Say Syrian Forces Continue Crackdown
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 4:40 am (UTC-5)
Rights activists say Syrian security forces backed by tanks have entered the town of Houla, while a deadly crackdown in the port city of Latakia continues for a third day. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says troops carried out raids and arrests Monday in Houla, which is located near the flashpoint city of Homs. […]
Japan Renews Commitment to Peace at WWII Memorial Ceremony
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 3:50 am (UTC-5)
Japan rededicated itself to the cause of world peace Monday at solemn ceremonies marking the anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II. At a ceremony attended by Emperor Akihito and his wife, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Japan will rise from the devastation of its March 11 earthquake just as it rebuilt itself […]
Tropical Storm Gert Approaches Bermuda
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 3:45 am (UTC-5)
Tropical Storm Gert is expected to drop 2 to 7 centimeters of rain on Bermuda Monday as it passes by the Atlantic island. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Monday the storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour as its outer edge neared Bermuda. The storm is expected […]
Asian Markets Higher
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 3:30 am (UTC-5)
Asian stock markets were higher in early trading Monday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index rose 1.37 percent , to close at 9,086. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 2.67 percent , to end at 20,143. Elsewhere, share prices were higher in Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei and Manila. The dollar was selling at 76.89 yen in currency trading, […]
HRW Demands Indonesia End Domestic Spying
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
A rights group is calling on Indonesia’s military to end an illegal surveillance program against ordinary citizens in the restive region of Papua. Human Rights Watch said Sunday that recently leaked documents, some of them written by Indonesia’s notorious Kopassus special forces unit and dating back as far as 2006, reveal a “deep military paranoia” […]
Japan Grants Visa to Fugitive Thai Politician Thaksin
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
Officials say Japan has granted an entry visa to former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in spite of his status as a fugitive in his homeland. The visa allows Thaksin to come to Japan to deliver a speech and visit areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Thaksin, who now lives in Dubai, […]
