European stock prices are lower in midday trading Thursday. London’s Financial Times index is down nearly three-quarters of one percent. The CAC-40 in Paris is a lower by a fraction of a percent, and trading on the DAX index in Frankfurt is down just over one-quarter of one percent. In New York, the S&P futures […]
European Stocks Lower in Midday Trading
Kazakhstan Parliament Passes Tough Religious Legislation
The upper house of Kazakhstan’s parliament has approved tough new legislation on religious activity. Supporters of the measure say it will help combat the growing threat of religious extremism, while opponents call it a blow to religious freedom. The measure is expected to quickly be signed into law by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who proposed the […]
Unknown Donor Contributes to Japanese Disaster Relief Efforts
A bag filled with over $130,000 in cash was deliberately left in a public toilet in Japan, with a note attached that it be used to help the victims of the March earthquake and tsunami. The plastic shopping bag was found last week inside a restroom in government offices in the northern town of Sakado. […]
Gunmen Open Fire on Cameroon Bridge, Demand President to Step Down
Authorities and eyewitnesses in Cameroon say several gunmen dressed in military uniforms have opened fire on a major bridge in the country’s largest city, Douala. The gunmen reportedly blockaded the bridge, exchanging fire with security forces. There have been no reports of injuries, and at least four of the gunmen have been arrested. A security […]
UN Security Council Considers Syria Resolution
A Syrian opposition figure says supporters of President Bashar al-Assad have thrown tomatoes at the U.S. ambassador to Syria and tried to storm an office where the two men were meeting. Hassan Abdul-Azim said a crowd of about 100 pro-Assad protesters was outside his Damascus office as he met with Ambassador Robert Ford. Also Thursday, […]
Knox Lawyers Begin Closing Arguments in Appeal
A defense lawyer for American student Amanda Knox has begun closing arguments in her appeal of a conviction she killed her roommate in Italy. Knox has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher during alleged sex games that went wrong in Perugia. Knox’s then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito […]
Gunmen Open Fire on Cameroon Bridge, Demand President to Step Down
Authorities and eyewitnesses in Cameroon say several gunmen dressed in military uniforms have opened fire on a major bridge in the country’s largest city, Douala. The gunmen reportedly blockaded the bridge, exchanging fire with security forces. There have been no reports of injuries, and at least four of the gunmen have been arrested. A Malawi […]
Malawi Government Lifts Travel Ban on New Zambian President
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika says his government will allow the newly-elected president of neighboring Zambia to enter the country, four years after he was mysteriously deported. Mr. Mutharika’s government said Thursday that President Michael Sata, who was elected to the Zambian presidency last week, has been “cleared of the prohibited immigrant status” since he […]
Deadly Typhoon Strikes Southern Chinese Island
Typhoon Nesat struck the southern Chinese island of Hainan Thursday afternoon, after pounding Hong Kong with heavy winds and rains earlier in the day. Forecasters say the storm hit Wenchang city with sustained winds up to 150 kilometers an hour, making it the strongest typhoon to hit China this year. Xinhua news agency said almost […]
German Parliament Approves Bill to Increase Bailout Fund
German lawmakers have approved a bill to increase the size of a bailout fund for struggling eurozone countries. The lower house of parliament voted to expand the fund to $593 billion dollars on Thursday. The vote was seen as a key test of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right coalition. The $593 billion figure was agreed […]