| Rare Meeting Between Afghan Government, Taliban Jun 30th 2012, 22:11 ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban emissary sat face-to-face this week with a senior Afghan government official responsible for peace talks in a rare high-level gathering between the bitter adversaries, an official said Saturday. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors The encounter at a peace and reconciliation conference in Kyoto, Japan, was a rare a positive sign in faltering attempts to find a peaceful end to the protracted conflict in Afghanistan. It also provided an unusual opportunity for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government to sit down with its enemies — the Taliban and the... | | Indian pilots vow to continue hunger strike Jun 30th 2012, 21:37 A hunger strike launched by some 300 Air India pilots over pay and work conditions has continued for a week. More than 100 of the protesters have already been sacked for striking after the hunger protest was deemed illegal. Many of the pilots say they will continue to refuse food until their demands are met. Al Jazeera's Sohail Rahman reports from New Delhi. 62 Source: Al Jazeera Email Print Share Send Feedback Featured on Al Jazeera The Family In a tale of politics, power and greed, this two-part series examines the Mubarak family. Liberia's long wait to turn on the lights Only 0.58 per cent of Monrovia residents have access to public electricity, as African nation rebuilds after... | | Red/Blue America: Obamacare -- What will happen now? Jun 30th 2012, 21:32 By Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuckdailynews.comPosted: 06/30/2012 01:21:02 PM PDTJune 30, 2012 8:27 PM GMTUpdated: 06/30/2012 01:26:21 PM PDT The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Affordable Care Act -- popularly known as Obamacare... | | Hong Kong Protesters Demand Probe of Li's Death as Hu Visits Jun 30th 2012, 20:58 Protesters gathered in Hong Kong's central Wan Chai district to demand China investigate the death of dissident Li Wangyang as President Hu Jintao addressed a welcome dinner hosted by the city's government. Some of the hundreds of residents, who included students and legislators, also called on the Chinese leadership to change its verdict on the 1989 pro-democracy protests that led to the Tiananmen Square... | | Eastern U.S. storms kill 12, cause wide power outages Jun 30th 2012, 20:56 By Jessica Gresko, Associated PressAssociated PressPosted: 06/30/2012 12:50:04 PM PDTJune 30, 2012 7:53 PM GMTUpdated: 06/30/2012 12:51:41 PM PDT Mia Kivlighan inspects damage to a tree that fell outside her home on Sherwood Avenue on Saturday, June 30, 2012 in Staunton, Va. (AP Photo/The News Leader, Pat Jarrett) WASHINGTON -- Violent storms swept across the eastern U.S., killing at least 12 people and knocking out power to millions of people on a day that temperatures across the region are expected to reach triple-digits. The Mid-Atlantic region had already been experiencing 100-degree temperatures before Friday evening's violent storms. More than 3 million are without power... | | Another Earthquake Jolts China Jun 30th 2012, 20:46 China state media reports an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.6 jolted northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region early Saturday. State... | | India thrash France in Olympic warm-up Jun 30th 2012, 19:53 Eight-time Olympic field hockey champions India thrashed France 4-0 in a warm-up match for the July 27-August 12 London Games here on Saturday.... | | Japan kitmaker turns bid volunteer Jun 30th 2012, 19:53 When Masato Mizuno was asked to choose between his global sporting goods empire or the chance to lead Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, he did not hesitate for a second. Despite the fact that he would have to walk away from the firm set up by his grandfather in 1906 and work voluntarily with no salary, Mizuno said a sense of patriotism made the decision an easy one. The former company chairman stepped down last September from the... | | Bangladesh arrests man over Saudi diplomat SMS Jun 30th 2012, 19:43 Dhaka: Detectives in Bangladesh's capital have arrested a former Saudi Embassy employee for allegedly threatening the mission's charge d'affaires. Dhaka Metropolitan Police official Khandaker... | | Pak PM defends Zardari's immunity Jun 30th 2012, 19:43 Islamabad: In the face of pressure from Pakistan's Supreme Court to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday defended the President's immunity, saying it would only end after he leaves office. "He (Zardari) is the democratically elected President and as per law, he enjoys immunity as long as he holds office," Ashraf said during an interaction with reporters. He said all legal experts had given the government the same opinion on this issue. On... | | Open joy for Thailand's Thongchai Jun 30th 2012, 19:35 Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee has sealed a place in next month's British Open at Royal Lytham in northwest England. Jaidee, 42 arrived in Ireland for this week's Irish Open heading a "mini money list" that commenced at the BMW PGA Championship last month and concludes with the close of this week's Irish Open at... | | Search warrant issued to facilitate arrest of Gilani's son Jun 30th 2012, 19:28 Islamabad: In a bid to facilitate the arrest of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Musa, an anti-narcotics court on Saturday issued a search warrant in a case related to alleged irregularities in the import of the... | | US concerned over Sri Lankan media freedom Jun 30th 2012, 19:28 Colombo: The US embassy in Colombo on Saturday expressed "deep concern" over the arrest of nine journalists of a pro-opposition website and sought an end to harrassment of media. "We have raised on several occasions our... | | 3 injured in scuffle between UCPN-M and CPN-M cadre Jun 30th 2012, 19:28 Kathmandu: Three people were injured on Saturday in a scuffle between the cadres belonging to the Unified CPN-Maoist and the newly formed CPN-Maoist in Chitawan district of southern Nepal. One of the injured... | | SIT to probe graft charges against Pak CJ's son Jun 30th 2012, 19:13 Islamabad: Pakistan's anti-corruption agency has formed a special investigating team to probe allegations that Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's son was paid over Rs 342 million by a real estate tycoon to influence cases in the apex court. National Accountability Bureau Chairman Fasih Bukhari told a news conference today that the investigating team, comprising officials of the Federal Investigation Agency and police, will be... | | Test That Can Determine the Course of Life in China Gets a Closer Examination Jun 30th 2012, 18:41 BEIJING — Millions of high school graduates across China have been furiously dialing telephone hot lines or gathering with family members around the home computer in recent days in a nail-biter of a ritual not unlike that of waiting for a winning lottery number. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Enlarge This Image Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Students arrived for the first day of the college entrance test in June in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The number, in this case, is the score for what is generally considered the single most important test any Chinese citizen can take — the... | | Jade and gold at heart of Myanmar civil war Jun 30th 2012, 18:39 Poring over pictures of bullet-riddled bodies and charred villages, peace mediators say Myanmar's far north is writhing in the grip of a "resource war" with no end in sight. Fighting in Kachin state has raged since a 17-year ceasefire between Myanmar's army and ethnic minority rebels crumbled last June, displacing up to 70,000 people in an unwelcome distraction from sweeping political reforms. A group of four local businessmen led by a prominent jade tycoon have brokered multiple rounds of negotiations since November, seeking an elusive ceasefire, following a presidential order to the army to stop fighting. But the mediators evince frustration as clashes have continued amid a massive troop... | | Hong Kong in Dour Mood as Chinese Leader Makes Return Visit Jun 30th 2012, 17:47 HONG KONG — The last time President Hu Jintao of China visited this former British colony, in 2007, the public mood was positive, buoyed by the approaching Beijing Olympics and a surging mainland economy that was pouring tourist and investment money into the territory. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Enlarge This Image Wally Santana/Associated Press Protesters and the police faced off. But Mr. Hu, who arrived on Friday and is to stay through Sunday to observe a change of local government and the 15th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, is encountering a very... | | Zheng, Nishikori's Wimbledon dreams end Jun 30th 2012, 17:46 Zheng Jie put up an "unbelievable" fight against Serena Williams, the four-time Wimbledon champion admitted, but was just edged out in a final set thriller on Saturday. The Chinese 25th seed lost 6-7 (7/5), 6-2, 9-7 in a third round battle on Centre Court and gave Williams plenty to think about with an impressive display of grasscourt tennis. But the sixth seed's experience told, leaving Peng Shuai as the only Chinese player to make it through to the... | | HK reporter asks about Tiananmen, upsets Hu visit Jun 30th 2012, 17:28 HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong reporter briefly threw Chinese President Hu Jintao's tightly scripted visit to the semiautonomous city off course Saturday by asking about the 1989 military crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. The reporter for the Apple Daily newspaper said he was detained for about 15 minutes after the incident by three to four security officers, who told him he was too noisy and had broken rules. Other reporters also shouted questions to Hu, but they weren't detained. Hu was touring a new cruise ship terminal when... | | New Pakistan PM defends Zardari immunity Jun 30th 2012, 17:09 Pakistan's new prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf defended Saturday President Asif Ali Zardari's immunity, saying it would end the day after he leaves office. His comments come after Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the new prime minister two weeks to indicate whether he... | | Mumbai case trial in Pak adjourned till July 14 Jun 30th 2012, 13:57 Islamabad: In yet another delay in the trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks, the matter was on Saturday adjourned till July 14 when the court will take up an application filed by Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman, who was recently appointed the judge of the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court... | | Four Afghan children die as ordnance explodes Jun 30th 2012, 13:51 Four children have been killed and one wounded in southern Afghanistan when unexploded weaponry they were playing with blew up, an official said Saturday. The children... | | Pak summons US diplomat to protest fresh drone strike Jun 30th 2012, 13:42 Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday summoned a senior US diplomat to protest against a drone strike that killed four militants in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Political Counsellor Jonathan Pratt of the US Embassy was summoned to the Foreign Office, where the Director General (Americas) registered a protest over yesterday's drone attack, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said. Sources said a demarche was handed over to Pratt. A similar protest was registered in Washington by the Pakistani Embassy, the sources said. The US yesterday carried out the first drone strike in almost a month in the... | | Indian bowler Sudhindra gets life ban for spot-fixing Jun 30th 2012, 13:34 India's uncapped fast bowler T. P. Sudhindra has been handed a life ban for spot-fixing in a local match, the country's cricket chiefs announced on Saturday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also punished four other domestic players, with Shalabh Srivastava banned for five years, and Mohnish Mishra, Abhinav Bali and Amit Yadav each for one year. "The disciplinary committee held Sudhindra guilty of actually receiving a consideration to spot-fix in a... | | 13 Philippine communist rebels killed in clashes Jun 30th 2012, 13:16 Philippine soldiers killed 13 communist guerrilla rebels in two separate clashes on Saturday, in what military officials described as one of the biggest victories over the insurgents in years. Eleven New People's Army (NPA) rebels were killed around noon in San Narciso town, south of Manila, while two rebels were killed in a... | | Pakistan rejects Butt's innocence claims Jun 30th 2012, 13:16 Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf Saturday rejected spot-fixing convict Salman Butt's claims of innocence, saying the former captain was just expressing his personal views. The 27-year-old ex-Pakistan captain, found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal that rocked the sport, Friday called for an open... | | Chinese leader's visit sparks HK protests Jun 30th 2012, 13:16 Police used pepper spray to disperse crowds of Hong Kongers demonstrating against Chinese President Hu Jintao Saturday, ahead of the 15th anniversary of the territory's handover amid tight security. On the second day of his visit to the former British colony, hundreds of protesters demanding an investigation into the death of a leading Chinese dissident rallied near Hu's hotel that was surrounded by giant barricades. Hundreds of demonstrators, who tried to breach the giant blue and white barriers, were targeted with pepper spray as protesters chanted anti-Beijing slogans and unfurled a huge banner with the Chinese character "injustice". Hu's visit comes as discontent toward... | | China official in Bo scandal quits parliament Jun 30th 2012, 13:16 A top official at the centre of the biggest political scandal in China in decades has resigned from his parliamentary post, state press said Saturday. The Chongqing municipal People's Congress accepted the resignation of Wang Lijun from the National People's Congress on June 26, Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement from the NPC. Wang launched the... | | India floods kill 29, displace more than a million Jun 30th 2012, 13:01 GAUHATI, India-Surging flood waters have killed at least 29 people and displaced more than a million others in northeastern India, officials said Saturday. Heavy monsoon rains have caused the Brahmaputra River -- one of Asia's largest -- to overflow its banks and... | | Some Taliban at Guantanamo could leave: Report Jun 30th 2012, 12:42 Washington: The Obama administration is considering a new gambit to restart peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan that would send several Taliban detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in Afghanistan. Under the proposal, some Taliban fighters or affiliates captured in the early days of the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan and later sent to Guantanamo under the label of enemy combatants would be transferred out of full US control but not released, US and Afghan officials told a news... | | New China Law Targets Foreigners Working Illegally Jun 30th 2012, 12:40 Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say the country's national legislature has approved a new law targeting foreigners who are living and working in China illegally. The official Xinhua News Agency said the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Saturday adopted the law that requires foreigners to obtain valid documents — including employment certificates — to work in China. Xinhua says the new law also will fine employers who hire foreigners illegally. For more than a decade, foreigners on short-term visas have managed to live and work... | | Ansar Dine Islamists destroy mausoleums in Timbuktu Jun 30th 2012, 12:40 REUTERS - Armed fighters of Mail's al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine Islamist group on Saturday destroyed mausoleums in the ancient trading city of Timbuktu, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, witnesses said. The attack came just four days... | | Japan economy 'faces same risks as Europe' Jun 30th 2012, 12:40 Japan faces the same risks that plague financially-embattled European states, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda warned Saturday, days after he pushed through a divisive tax bill to chip away at the country's mountainous debt. Noda's statement comes a day after leaders from the 17 countries sharing the euro struck a deal to direct emergency... | | World Bank Cancels $1.2 Billion Bangladesh Loan Jun 30th 2012, 12:23 DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The World Bank has canceled a $1.2 billion loan for construction of a bridge in Bangladesh, saying it has credible evidence of corruption involving a Canadian engineering company. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors The global lending agency said it did not receive a satisfactory response from the Bangladesh government after it raised the issue of corruption last year. It said in a statement Friday that it has evidence pointing to "a high-level corruption conspiracy" among Bangladesh government officials, executives of Canadian engineering and construction... | | Sri Lanka urged to stop 'harassing' media Jun 30th 2012, 11:45 An international rights group on Saturday called on Sri Lanka to stop "harassing" media organisations, a day after police shut down opposition news websites for allegedly carrying false reports. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Friday's... | | China paves way to charge policeman who sparked Bo drama Jun 30th 2012, 11:35 Wang Lijun, former Chongqing police chief, briefly holed up in the Chengdu US consulate in February, a step that ultimately led to the ousting of Chongqing's former leader Bo Xilai from the top ranks of the communist party and... | | India's monsoon seen picking up in July Jun 30th 2012, 11:27 India's crucial monsoon rains should pick up in July after a slow start over vast swathes of the country, which threatened crops from rice to sugar, forecasters said. Some 26 out of India's 36 weather zones received "deficient" or "scanty" rains last week from the monsoon which sweeps... | | S. Korea to open controversial new mini-capital Jun 30th 2012, 11:09 After a decade of wrangling, South Korea is set to inaugurate a new mini-capital seen by supporters as a developmental triumph and by critics as a classic pork-barrel project. Sejong City will by 2015 house 16 ministries or agencies and 20 central government offices currently located in or near Seoul. More than 10,000 civil servants will work there when construction is completed. The stated aim is to rebalance national development, in a country where Seoul and its satellite cities house almost half the population and account for almost half national output. The new city, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Seoul,... | | Key Figure in China's Political Tumult Quits Post Jun 30th 2012, 10:22 Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say the man crucial to the fall of a prominent Chinese politician has resigned from the national legislature, a sign that he might be a step closer to trial. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that Wang Lijun, former police chief of south China's metropolis Chongqing, resigned from his post as a delegate to the National People's Congress. Wang has been under investigation after he made a shocking visit to a U.S. Consulate in the nearby city Chengdu in January. Wang is thought to have divulged information... | | India Floods Increase Poaching Risks for Rhinos Jun 30th 2012, 10:22 Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors GAUHATI, India (AP) — Officials in northeastern India are on alert for poachers after surging flood waters forced endangered rhinos, Asiatic elephants, a variety of deer and other animals to leave a game reserve. At least 29 people have been killed in the past week's flooding and more than a million others have been displaced from their homes. The director of Assam's Kaziranga National Park, S. K. Bora, said Saturday that three one-horned rhinoceros have died from drowning and several dozen deer have been killed by the floods or vehicles on a highway. The... | | Manmohan's nomination as PM surprised me: Kalam Jun 30th 2012, 09:57 Zeenews Bureau New Delhi: Former president APJ Abdul Kalam has made a startling revelation in his forthcoming memoir Turning Points, in which he has written that he was ready to swear in Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister in 2004, as opposed to the popular notion that he had dissuaded her from becoming PM. As per newspaper reports, the book... | | Suu Kyi returns from triumphant European tour Jun 30th 2012, 09:52 Thousands of jubilant supporters packed into Yangon's airport and lined the roads outside waving opposition party flags and holding banners, including one that said: "We are proud of you Mother Suu!" Others were clearly impressed by the honorary doctorate degree she was awarded at Oxford University, shouting: "Long Live Dr. Aung San Suu... | | Philippine Troops Kill 13 Communist Rebels Jun 30th 2012, 09:48 Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine army says it has killed at least 13 communist rebels during two separate clashes in the biggest loss for the guerrillas in a single day this year. The army says two guerrillas were killed and one was captured in a clash early Saturday between soldiers and about a dozen guerrillas in Zambales province west of Manila. It says at least 11 were killed in a second encounter with 15 guerrillas in Quezon province southeast of the capital. The military says villagers informed troops of the presence of New People's Army... | |
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