Police in northern Iraq say a car bomb has exploded outside a Christian church in the ethnically-divided city of Kirkuk, wounding at least 14 people. Authorities said the blast Tuesday damaged the church as well as homes in the area. As many as 1.2 million Christians lived in Iraq before the 2003 invasion to oust […]
Bomb Attack Outside Iraqi Christian Church Wounds 14
Asian Stocks Lower
Asian stock markets closed lower Tuesday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped nearly one and one-quarter percent to finish at 9,845. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell one percent to finish the day’s trading at 22,437. Share prices were also lower in Manila, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei and Wellington. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 77.37 […]
Cuban National Assembly Meets
Cuban President Raul Castro discussed sweeping reforms when he addressed the National Assembly Monday in one of its twice-yearly sessions. Mr. Castro discussed possible migration reform. Officials said Cuba is considering the elimination of the “white card” – a form used for requesting permission to leave the island nation. The travel restrictions have been in […]
China Dismisses US Debt Deal as Short-Term Fix
China’s state-controlled media say a last-minute deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling has merely postponed deeper problems that threaten the world economy. In a commentary Tuesday, the People’s Daily newspaper said that while the threat of default has been avoided, America’s debt problems are unresolved and likely to grow more serious. The newspaper is […]
Senate to Vote on US Debt Ceiling Bill Tuesday
The U.S. Senate will vote Tuesday on a compromise bill to cut government spending and raise the nation’s borrowing limit, bringing a likely end to weeks of fear over a potential American debt default. The Senate is expected to vote on the deal at noon local time, just 12 hours before the government says it […]
Rights Group Says Syrian Forces Kill 24
Human rights activists say Syrian forces have killed at least 24 civilians in attacks on several cities, as the U.N. Security Council met to discuss President Bashar al-Assad’s increasingly brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters. The activists said some of the attacks Monday came as people protested following evening prayers on the first day of the […]
Chinese National is Tried For New Zealand Murder on Native Soil
A Chinese man has confessed in court to killing a New Zealand taxi driver in a case that breaks new legal ground for the two countries. Xiao Zhen was put on trial Tuesday in Shanghai for the stabbing death of Hiren Mohini in Auckland in January 2010. During the hearing, the 24-year-old Xiao admitted to […]
US Scholars Say Pyongyang Negotiators See Need For Dialogue
A group of American scholars say they are hopeful about the prospects for continued dialogue with Pyongyang after talks with a visiting North Korean delegation in New York. The scholars met Monday with the delegation, which held two days of talks with senior U.S. officials last week. They said afterward their meeting had been frank […]
Seoul Summons Japanese Diplomats Over Renewed Islands Claim
Japanese diplomats were summoned by South Korean authorities on Tuesday after Tokyo renewed its claim in a defense white paper to a disputed group of islands that lie between the two countries. The claim comes a day after Seoul blocked three Japanese lawmakers from entering South Korea on a visit that was meant to reinforce […]
Japan’s Nikkei Slumps
Japanese markets closed lower Tuesday, while the U.S. dollar is higher against the Japanese yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped nearly one and one-quarter percent to finish at 9,845. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 77.28 yen, a gain of less than one-tenth of a yen from Monday. The Taipei market closed at 8,585, […]