TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told a news conference Monday that he will step down as leader of the country’s ruling party after a crushing defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary election.
The Japanese leader apologized and took responsibility for the loss, which gave the opposition Democratic Party of Japan a landslide victory over the Liberal […]
JERUSALEM - Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted on corruption allegations that forced him to resign last year. The charges include fraud, breach of trust and failure to report income.
Mr. Olmert is accused of accepting envelopes stuffed with cash from an American Jewish businessman to support a lavish style - including, stays […]
JERUSALEM - Israel has launched an air strike in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. There was damage, but no reports of injuries.
The Israeli air force bombed a tunnel the army said was meant to smuggle Palestinian terrorists from Gaza into Israel. A building over the entrance to the tunnel was destroyed about a kilometer and a-half […]
TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is marking the 40th anniversary of his revolutionary rule with lavish celebrations, a special African Union meeting and visits from other heads of state. The event caps years of effort to bring his once-isolated nation back into the international fold.
The self-styled philosopher-in-chief bears little resemblance these days to the […]
TOKYO - Millions of Japanese have begun casting ballots in a vote expected to end more than 50 years of dominance by the country’s ruling conservative party.
Japanese polls opened at 7 A.M. local time Sunday, in an election expected to attract an unprecedented portion of eligible voters.
More than 1,300 candidates are vying for 480 […]
WASHINGTON - Diplomatic officials say the United Arab Emirates seized a ship earlier this month allegedly carrying North Korean weapons to Iran.
The officials said Friday the shipment comes in violation of United Nations sanctions, and they said the U.A.E. has reported the seizure to the U.N. sanctions committee.
In June, the U.N. Security Council adopted sanctions […]
WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia’s state news agency says a member of the royal family who heads the kingdom’s anti-terrorism operations suffered minor injuries when a suicide bomber detonated a blast at his home.
Deputy Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Nayef was receiving visitors at his home in Jeddah late Thursday when the bomber got close and […]
WASHINGTON - The official report from the medical examiner in Los Angeles concludes the death of pop icon Michael Jackson was a homicide.
The report - released Friday - says the singer died from a lethal combination of drugs that included the powerful anesthetic propofol and the sedative, lorazepam.
It says other drugs also contributed to his […]
WASHINGTON - Top U.S. officials are optimistic the so-called “Cash for Clunkers” program has given the auto industry, and the country’s economy, a needed boost.
The Transportation Department Wednesday said the nearly month-long program, which ended Monday, resulted in sales of 700,000 new, more fuel-efficient vehicles. As a result, officials say, the country created or saved […]
WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy continues to shrink and shed jobs, but at a much slower pace than a few months ago, giving economists reason to proclaim the longest recession in the post-World War II era may soon be over.
When are negative indicators seen as good news? In today’s economy, it is when conditions […]
WASHINGTON - When four American soldiers were killed on Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, 2009 became the deadliest year for foreign forces in the country since the current conflict began nearly eight years ago. The spike in violence and attacks by Taliban insurgents have triggered a debate in the United States about the need to send […]
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of his slain brothers - President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy.
More than 300,000 people, including veterans from all the nation’s wars, two former presidents, prominent explorers and other historical figures, are buried at the cemetery, located […]
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, the youngest brother of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy and one of the most most influential lawmakers in U.S. history, has died at the age of 77.
Kennedy’s family says he died late Tuesday at his home in the small Massachusetts town of Hyannis Port. The Democratic […]
WASHINGTON - The death of pop-singer Michael Jackson has become the focus of a murder investigation, although no charges have been filed against the main suspect, the entertainer’s personal physician, Houston-based Dr. Conrad Murray. Investigators say Dr. Murray administered a lethal combination of drugs to Jackson in an attempt to overcome the performer’s chronic insomnia.
A […]
SEOUL - South Korea launched a rocket carrying an observation satellite into space Tuesday.
The launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, which was developed with help from Russia, had been delayed several times.
Tuesday’s successful launch from the Naro Space Center south of Seoul is the first time South Korea has sent a domestic satellite into […]
NICOSIA - The Greek government is facing criticism for a fourth day from the public as a massive wildfire continues to threaten the suburbs of Athens. The fires have burned scores of houses and thousands of acres of forest near Athens as flames raged out of control, fanned by strong winds.
There were sounds of people […]
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is keeping a close watch on developments in Afghanistan amidst rising violence and growing tensions surrounding last week’s national elections. Meanwhile, U.S. military officials admit they are concerned about signs of slipping American public support for the Afghan war.
In an interview with CNN, America’s top military officer, Joint Chiefs Chairman […]
ATHENS - Thousands of Greeks have spent Sunday night outside of their homes after fleeing raging wildfires threatening communities on the outskirts of Athens.
Residents of Agio Stefanos, a community north of Athens were ordered out of their homes as the fire bore down on their town. Firefighters managed to reduce the numerous wildfires around […]
WASHINGTON - A major U.S. newspaper reports the U.S. Justice Department is recommending that some cases of alleged prisoner abuse by the Central Intelligence Agency be pursued in court.
The New York Times cites an unnamed source saying the Office of Professional Responsibility made the recommendation to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He is now considering […]
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon says at least 4,337 members of the U.S. military have died in the war in Iraq during the past six years.
U.S. officials say their tally is correct as of 14 hours, Universal Time Friday and includes all deaths since March 2003. Over that same period, more than 31,000 service members were […]
WASHINGTON - A new poll shows that public confidence in U.S. President Barack Obama has declined amid concerns about health care reform and growing government spending.
The Washington Post - ABC News poll released Friday shows the president’s overall approval rating is at 57 percent, 12 points lower than its peak in April.
The poll shows President […]
WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is blaming Sunni insurgents for Wednesday’s wave of bomb and mortar attacks in Baghdad. At least 95 people were killed and hundreds more wounded. The strikes targeted two key government buildings, the Foreign and Finance Ministries. And the attacks continued on Thursday when a bomb exploded in central […]
WASHINGTON - A mixed bag of economic news Thursday shows a record number of U.S. homeowners having problems repaying their mortgage loans and more troubles in the job market.
The American Bankers Association, an industry group, says more than nine percent of home loans are one month or more behind in their payments. Other measures of […]
WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities have announced new charges against members of a Mexican drug cartel accused of smuggling vast quantities of cocaine and other narcotics into the United States.
The Justice Department unveiled indictments against 43 leaders, members and associates of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, which is blamed for much of the drug-related violence that […]
