France’s foreign ministry says an elderly French woman kidnapped by suspected Somali militants in Kenya earlier this month has died. French officials who had been negotiating for the release of Marie Dedieu said Wednesday that unspecified contacts informed them of her death. Officials say Dedieu probably died because she was not given her medication, which […]
Serb Leaders Meet to Discuss Removing Kosovo Roadblocks
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
Leaders of four Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo are meeting to discuss whether to lift area roadblocks to allow NATO-led KFOR troops free movement in the region. The roadblocks have guarded sensitive border crossings for nearly three months. NATO has threatened to dismantle them unless Wednesday’s meeting brings positive results. The barricades are stopping NATO […]
France Begins Afghan Troops Withdrawal
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
France is withdrawing 200 of its troops from Afghanistan Wednesday as part of a plan to pull out 1,000 troops by the end of next year. The French military had said in September that the company of soldiers would leave Afghanistan sometime this month. France has about 4,000 troops in Afghanistan, and President Nicolas Sarkozy […]
Frenchwoman Kidnapped in Somalia is Dead
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
France’s foreign ministry says an elderly French woman kidnapped by suspected Somali militants in Kenya earlier this month has died. French officials who had been negotiating for the release of Marie Dedieu said Wednesday that unspecified contacts informed them of her death. Officials say Dedieu probably died because she was not given her medication, which […]
South Korean, Japanese Leaders Pledge Continued Cooperation
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
The leaders of South Korea and Japan have agreed to improve diplomatic and economic ties, despite bitter feelings from Japan’s occupation of the Korean peninsula and a lingering territorial dispute. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Seoul Wednesday, the second meeting between the two leaders since Mr. […]
Asia Markets Close Mostly Higher
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
Major Asian stock markets closed mostly higher Wednesday. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained more than one-quarter of one percent to finish at 8,773. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose just over one and one-quarter percent to finish the day’s trading at 18,309. Share prices were higher in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Sydney and Wellington, […]
International Committee of the Red Cross Names New President
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
The International Committee of the Red Cross has appointed Swiss diplomat Peter Mauer as its next president. Mauer is the top civil servant in the Swiss Foreign Ministry and was previously the permanent Swiss representative to the United Nations. He will become ICRC head on July 1, 2012. Mauer will succeed Jakob Kellenberger,also a Swiss, […]
New Zealand Salvage Crews Return to Grounded Ship
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
A salvage crew Wednesday reboarded a cargo ship that has been spilling oil since it grounded on a reef off the New Zealand coast almost two weeks ago. The four-man crew boarded the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Rena to begin preparing equipment to pump at least 1,200 tons of heavy fuel oil still remaining in the […]
French Writer Drops Plan to Sue Strauss-Kahn
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 6:35 am (UTC-5)
A French writer has decided to drop civil rape charges against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Tristane Banon initially said she was considering a civil case after prosecutors dropped rape charges against Strauss-Khan. But she told France’s Canal+ that because French prosecutors said her case involved sexual aggression she felt she had been […]
China Blasts Dalai Lama Over Self-Immolations
Posted October 19th, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
China is accusing the Dalai Lama of encouraging the self-immolation of Buddhist monks, an action it describes as terrorism in disguise. At a regular briefing Wednesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu condemned the wave of immolations, which has seen nine Tibetan Buddhists burn themselves to death since March. The latest was a Buddhist nun who […]
