Asian stock markets closed sharply lower in Monday trading on concerns about Greece’s failure to meet a deficit reduction target set by European leaders as part of a bailout deal. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped 1.8 percent to close at 8,545. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 4.5 percent to end at 16,806. Elsewhere, share prices […]
BBC: Haqqanis Deny Killing Afghan Peace Envoy
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
The BBC says it has interviewed the operational leader of the Haqqani Network, the Taliban-allied militant group. In an interview posted on the BBC website Monday, Sirajuddin Haqqani denied that his group killed Afghan peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani. Haqqani also said the Haqqani Network, which has been blamed for a string of recent attacks on […]
Malaysia Moves to Repeal Two Authoritarian Laws
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 3:45 am (UTC-5)
Malaysia introduced legislation Monday to repeal two tough security laws, part of a broader planned overhaul as the government positions itself for elections next year. Prime Minister Najib Razak scheduled motions in parliament that would scrap a 1933 law enabling police to dictate where individuals may or may not live, and a 1959 law allowing […]
Taiwan Shipwreck Leaves 3 Dead, 7 Missing in Stormy Seas
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
Taiwan coast guard officials are searching for at least seven crewmen who are missing in stormy weather after a cargo ship broke in two off the island’s northern coast. Search crews rescued 11 sailors and recovered three bodies after the Panamanian-registered gravel ship ran aground early Monday off Keelung Harbor. Authorities questioned some of the […]
Japanese Stocks Down, Dollar Gains
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 2:25 am (UTC-5)
Japanese share places plunged Monday on concerns about Greece’s failure to meet a deficit target set by European leaders as part of its bailout deal. The dollar was fractionally higher against the yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index dropped 1.8 percent to close at 8,545. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 77.08 yen, up a […]
Kidnappers Free Filipino-American Woman, Hold Son and Nephew
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 2:20 am (UTC-5)
Kidnappers in the southern Philippines have released a Filipino-American woman who has seized in July, but they continue to hold her 14-year-old son and a nephew. Philippine officials say Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann was set free late Sunday on Basilan island, a stronghold of militant Islamic groups including the notorious Abu Sayyaf group, which has links […]
Australian Men Set Out For Unassisted South Pole Trek
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
Two Australian men flew from Sydney Monday on their way to Antarctica for an attempt at a record-breaking pole trek. Justin Jones, 28, and James Castrission, 29, plan to walk unassisted from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back, an achievement that has never been accomplished. Each man will pull a sled with […]
Panetta Says Key Al-Qaida Deaths Hurt Ability to Attack
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 1:51 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the recent deaths of key al-Qaida leaders make it more difficult for the terror group to carry out large-scale attacks abroad. Panetta’s comments come days after a U.S. drone strike in Yemen killed American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaida figure, and Samir Khan, a Pakistani-American who produced the […]
Jamaican PM Explains Resignation
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 1:30 am (UTC-5)
Jamaica’s outgoing leader said Sunday that public perceptions about his handling of a U.S. extradition request for a notorious drug gang leader contributed to his recent decision to step down. Prime Minister Bruce Golding said in a nationally televised address that questions about the role he played in the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke had […]
Poll Finds Ma Leading in Taiwan Presidential Race
Posted October 3rd, 2011 at 1:25 am (UTC-5)
A new poll in Taiwan shows President Ma Ying-jeou is increasing his lead over opposition candidate Tsai Ing-wen ahead of elections scheduled for mid-January. The poll released late Sunday showed Mr. Ma with a 7.3-percentage-point lead over Ms. Tsai in a head-to-head race, up from just 1.7 points a month ago. If third-party candidate James […]
