Burmese opposition and human rights groups say the government released dozens of political prisoners Wednesday, including a famous monk and a popular comedian. Members of the opposition National League for Democracy said the organization has identified more than 100 political prisoners who were included in a mass amnesty covering thousands of criminals. Reuters news agency […]
Burmese Prison Release Includes Dozens of Political Prisoners
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 5:20 am (UTC-5)
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Paper: Nigerian Police Arrest Five Journalists Over Controversial Report
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
A Nigerian newspaper says police have arrested five of its journalists after the paper published a controversial story on its front page last week. The Nation newspaper says that Nigerian police on late Tuesday arrested five senior journalists and two other employees from its Lagos and Abuja offices. The paper said it believes the arrests […]
Libya’s NTC Says Control of Sirte is Near
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
Libya’s provisional government fighters say they are close to taking full control of former leader Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte. National Transitional Council forces say they seized the city’s police headquarters on Tuesday, days after taking the main hospital, the university and the convention center that Gadhafi loyalists had used as their main base of […]
Fashion Label Accused of Mistreating Chinese Workers
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
An international luxury fashion retailer has been accused of abuse by former employees at one of its Chinese stores. Five former employees at the Gucci store in the southern city of Shenzhen issued a letter this week describing adverse working conditions at the store. They said they were forced to work overtime without being properly […]
Asian Stock Markets Mixed
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
Asian stock markets closed mixed Wednesday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index fell nearly one-half of one percent to finish at 8,739. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained just over one percent to finish the day’s trading at 18,329. Share prices were higher in Manila and Shanghai, but lower in Sydney, Taipei and Wellington. In currency trading, the […]
New Zealand PM Says Stranded Cargo Ship Could Sink
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says he fears a possible break-up of a grounded cargo ship that is leaking fuel oil from its damaged hull. Mr. Key told reporters Wednesday that stress fractures have been discovered along the hull of the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Rena, and warned that the risk of the ship coming […]
Vietnamese President in India for State Visit
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang is in India for a four-day state visit aimed at deepening trade and defense ties. Mr. Sang arrived in the southern city Bangalore Wednesday where he met with the governor of Karnakata state, H. R. Bhardwaj, and visited the headquarters of information technology company Infosys. Later, he left for the […]
Congress Set to Approve Trade Deals with South Korea, Panama, Colombia
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 4:05 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Congress is expected to pass three long-delayed free trade agreements Wednesday that supporters say will boost U.S. exports by $13 billion annually. The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved the trade pacts with South Korea, Panama and Colombia, clearing the way for their final approval in the Senate and House of Representatives. The […]
Gillard Hails Australia’s Future After Carbon Tax Passage
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is calling for her country to aggressively seize the future following the passage by parliament of a contentious bill to tax large polluters. The new carbon tax passed with a narrow two-vote majority on Wednesday despite fierce criticism from industry and the parliamentary opposition, which argued the tax will drive […]
Israel, Hamas to Swap Prisoners for Captured Soldier
Posted October 12th, 2011 at 3:50 am (UTC-5)
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas say they have reached a deal to free an Israeli soldier held captive for five years in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the Egyptian-mediated agreement on Israeli television late Tuesday. His Cabinet later voted overwhelmingly to approve […]
