China has launched its most ambitious space mission yet in which its first female astronaut and two male colleagues will attempt to dock with an orbiting space station module. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft lifted off as scheduled at 6:37 p.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in China’s northwest. […]
Japan to Restart 2 Nuclear Reactors
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 11:30 pm (UTC-5)
Japan’s prime minister has approved the resumption of nuclear power operations at two reactors, the first to come back on-line since all were shut down after the Fukushima crisis last year. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced the decision to resume operations at the Ohi power plant in western Japan at a meeting with key ministers […]
Aung San Suu Kyi Resumes European Tour after Brief Illness
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi got a celebrity’s welcome Friday when she visited a session of the Swiss parliament. The Nobel laureate is continuing her trip through Europe despite a brief illness. Supporters of the rights group Amnesty International waited outside the Swiss parliament building in Bern to greet her with cheers and […]
UN: Bangladesh Should Open Borders to People Fleeing Burma
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
The U.N. refugee agency is urging Bangladesh to open its borders to people fleeing an outbreak of violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Burma. In a statement Friday, the agency said those trying to escape are not able to find the “safety and security they desperately need.” The U.N. agency also […]
Aung San Suu Kyi Resumes European Tour after Brief Illness
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi got a celebrity’s welcome Friday when she visited a session of the Swiss parliament. The Nobel laureate is continuing her trip through Europe despite a brief illness. Supporters of the rights group Amnesty International waited outside the Swiss parliament building in Bern to greet her with cheers and […]
Tibetan Man Self-Immolates in Protest of Chinese Rule
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
A Tibetan nomad has died after setting himself on fire in a remote region of northwestern China in protest of Chinese rule. The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy says the man self-immolated Friday in front of a Chinese military compound in Qinghai province. A friend of the man who set himself on fire […]
Aung San Suu Kyi Resumes European Tour after Brief Illness
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has attended a session of the Swiss parliament, after a brief illness forced her to cancel a Swiss state dinner on Thursday evening. The democracy icon excused herself from a news conference on Thursday, saying she was exhausted and disoriented by the long flight and time change. The […]
Reports: Japan Captures Last Aum Shin Rikyo Fugitive
Posted June 15th, 2012 at 12:15 am (UTC-5)
Media reports out of Japan say police have arrested the last fugitive from the religious cult that launched deadly nerve gas attacks on Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said 54-year-old Katsuya Takahashi, a former member of the Aum Shin Rikyo cult, was arrested Friday at a comic book cafe in downtown […]
Coca Cola Returning to Burma After 60 Years
Posted June 14th, 2012 at 9:10 pm (UTC-5)
Burmese consumers will soon be able to enjoy a bottle of “the real thing.” Coca-Cola announced Thursday that it is ready to start doing business in Burma for the first time in more than 60 years. The company said it is waiting for the U.S. government to grant a general license to allow American businesses […]
US Recalls South Korean Shellfish, Suspects Human Waste Contamination
Posted June 14th, 2012 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. federal regulators are urging food handlers to remove South Korean oysters, clams, mussels and scallops from the market because the shellfish may have been exposed to human waste. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the affected products could be contaminated with norovirus, which causes nausea, cramps, diarrhea and fever. The recall includes fresh […]
