Engineers at Japan’s tsunami-battered Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant have reported seeing no serious damage to its inner walls and pipes during a camera inspection Thursday. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to determine the state of nuclear fuel inside three crippled reactors, after fuel melted through the walls of their core units and […]
Japanese Engineers Use Camera to Probe Damaged Reactor
Pakistani Prime Minister Faces Supreme Court
A long-running political firestorm that threatens to unravel Pakistan’s civilian government may be coming to a head. The country’s Supreme Court is giving Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani until early next month to satisfactorily explain why he has not re-opened a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari. If Mr. Gilani fails to convince the […]
US Politics: Belatedly, Iowa Vote Is Left Muddled
More than two weeks after the voting ended, Republican officials in the U.S. central state of Iowa say they have no idea for certain who won the nation’s first contest to nominate a candidate to eventually oppose President Barack Obama in November’s general election. On election night, January 3, Iowa Republican officials said that Mitt […]
Suicide Bomber Attacks Airfield in Southern Afghanistan
Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber has killed seven civilians near the entrance to the Kandahar Airfield, the latest in a series of attacks in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, saying they were targeting NATO vehicles. NATO said there were no coalition casualties. Provincial officials say the attacker detonated a […]
Italian Divers Resume Search of Wrecked Cruise Ship
Italian divers resumed their search Thursday for at least 21 people missing from a wrecked cruise ship off Italy’s northwestern coast. Officials say divers began searching again after the operation was suspended Wednesday out of concern the Costa Concordia might move off its rocky resting place into deeper waters. Anxious relatives are holding on to […]
Rwanda Arrests Four Top Army Officers
Rwanda’s military has suspended four top army officers and placed them under house arrest for alleged illegal business dealings in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The army said the three and a colonel are under investigation for “acts of indiscipline.” It said the four men are suspected of taking part in business deals with civilians […]
Bangladesh Foils Attempt to Overthrow Government
Military officials in Bangladesh say they have uncovered a plot by religious extremists to overthrow the government. Brigadier General Muhammad Masud Razzaq shared details of the attempted coup with reporters Thursday, calling it a “heinous conspiracy” to topple Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Razzaq said the coup had been planned abroad and that two retired military […]
Musharraf May Delay Return to Pakistan
Aides to Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf say he may delay a planned return from self-imposed exile because of a warning from the government that he could be arrested. Earlier this month Musharraf announced he would return between January 27 and January 30 to take part in future general elections. He leads his own […]
China Says US Sanctions on Iran ‘Ineffective’
China expressed concern Thursday over rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, saying the situation could pose problems for resolving Iran’s nuclear issues. Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said disagreements over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program should be solved through dialogue and negotiations. “Using sanctions, imposing pressure and threatening […]
Photography Giant Kodak Files for Bankruptcy
U.S.-based Eastman Kodak Company, synonymous with photography for more than a century, has declared bankruptcy, eclipsed by the very technology it helped create. The 132-year-old company that once dominated the camera and film industry has not turned a profit since 2007. The appeal of its film and handheld cameras has been overtaken by that of […]