A landslide has hit a rural area in central Papua New Guinea, killing at least 40 people. Local news reports early Wednesday said 40 bodies have been recovered but that at least another 20 people are still missing. The landslide struck early Tuesday in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands, a remote area with several small […]
Japan Records First Trade Deficit in More Than 30 Years
Posted January 25th, 2012 at 1:40 am (UTC-5)
Japan has posted its first annual trade deficit in more than 30 years, as the loss of nuclear power forced it to import more energy and the rising value of the yen slowed exports. Japan’s Finance Ministry said Wednesday the largely export-driven economy logged a $32 billion deficit for 2011. Total exports shrank 2.7 percent […]
Obama Promotes Economic Fairness in State of the Union Address
Posted January 24th, 2012 at 11:20 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama has used his third State of the Union address to outline a new economic blueprint that he says will work for everyone, not just the wealthy. The president’s speech on the nation’s progress Tuesday came as he faces a contentious re-election bid this year. Mr. Obama told a joint session of […]
Rains Cause Floods, Evacuations in Northeast Australia
Posted January 24th, 2012 at 4:45 pm (UTC-5)
Torrential rains have caused flooding in northeastern Australia, submerging roads and reaching some homes, about a year after deadly floods devastated the region. Power outages affected thousands of homes in Queensland and new South Wales Tuesday. Authorities started evacuations in several areas, including the state capital, Brisbane, as more heavy rains are forecast later in […]
Japan Downgrades Economic Forecast
Posted January 24th, 2012 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
Japan’s central bank on Tuesday downgraded its economic forecast for the current fiscal year, saying the world’s third largest economy will likely shrink by four-tenths-of-one-percent because of the global economic downturn. The Bank of Japan had earlier predicted the country’s gross domestic product would rise by three-tenths-of-a-percent in the year ending March 31st. It now […]
Syria Rejects Arab League Call for Power Transfer
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
Syria has rejected a new Arab League initiative for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and allow the formation of a national unity government. The plan agreed to by Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo Sunday requires Mr. Assad to transfer power to a deputy and allow the formation of a unity government with the […]
Tensions High, Death Toll Rises in Northern Nigeria City
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
Tensions are high and security has been tightened in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria, where police on Monday discovered 10 car bombs and hundreds of other unexploded devices as the death toll from Friday’s coordinated attacks continues to rise. Authorities now say at least 184 people, the vast majority of them civilians, died […]
US: Republican Candidates Debating Again in Florida
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
The race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination is now focused on Florida, a sprawling southern state set to host the 18th debate between the remaining candidates on Monday night. The two apparent leaders in the contest to pick a nominee to oppose President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the national election in November are […]
US: Republican Candidates Debating Again in Florida
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
The race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination is now focused on Florida, a sprawling southern state set to host the 18th debate between the remaining candidates on Monday night. The two apparent leaders in the contest to pick a nominee to oppose President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the national election in November are […]
Syria Rejects Arab League Call for Power Transfer
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
Syria has rejected a new Arab League initiative to end the country’s 10-month-old opposition uprising. The initiative agreed to by Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday requires Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to transfer power to a deputy and allow the formation of a national unity government with the opposition within two months. The […]
