TOKYO (AP) — Japan approved fresh economic sanctions against Iran on Friday after the United Nations asked Tokyo to tighten restrictions against Tehran over its controversial nuclear enrichment program, an official said.
The measures approved by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Naoto Kan include an asset freeze on 88 entities, 15 banks and 24 individuals, trade ministry official Hideaki Fujisawa said. Japan had previously frozen assets on 75 entities and 41 individuals....
BEIJING (AP) — Thousands of coal trucks were backed up for miles on a northern China highway Friday, the latest in a series of monster jams that have plagued the overloaded road since construction began on a parallel route earlier this summer.
Trucks loaded high with coal from Inner Mongolia inched along bumper-to-bumper on the Beijing-Tibet highway as police redirected traffic and reminded drivers to stay alert, an official with Jining traffic police in Inner Monglia...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian man pleaded guilty to wildlife smuggling after his bag bursting with 95 live boa constrictors broke open on a luggage conveyer belt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, an official said Friday.
Keng Liang "Anson" Wong, 52, who was previously convicted of wildlife trafficking in the United States, was charged Wednesday in a district court with exporting the endangered boas without a permit, said Shamsuddin Osman, an official...
SYDNEY (AP) — A French skyscraper climber nicknamed "Spider-Man" pleaded not guilty Friday to charges related to his bare-handed climb up a 57-story building in downtown Sydney.
Alain Robert, known for climbing some of the world's tallest and best-known buildings without ropes or other equipment, was arrested Monday at the top of the Lumiere building.
He was charged with risking the safety of another by climbing a building or structure, and unlawful...
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An electoral official accused President Hugo Chavez and his allies of breaking campaign laws by using state-run media to berate rivals and praise friends ahead of this month's legislative elections.
Vicente Diaz, one of the National Election Council's five directors, said Chavez is violating legislation prohibiting elected officials from using their posts to promote candidacies. Chavez has ignored the law, which also bans the use of state media...
TOKYO (AP) — Most Asian stock markets climbed Friday as investors took heart from improving U.S. housing and jobs data amid lingering worries over the pace of the global economic recovery.
But gains were modest across the region as investors took a wait-and-see stance ahead of closely-watched U.S. employment data due out Friday. The jobless rate for August is expected to rise to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent in July, according to Thomson Reuters.
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TANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian volcano sent a new, powerful burst of hot ash high into the air early Friday, violently shaking homes and trees along the slopes and sending panicked villagers scurrying back to safety.
"This was a big one!" said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, who fled his coffee shop not far from the crater's mouth, joining hundreds of others gathered near Mount Sinabung's base. "It shot up at least 3,000 meters (yards)."
The...
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Soldiers killed 25 suspected cartel members Thursday in a raid and gunbattle in a Mexican state near the U.S. border that has seen a surge in drug gang violence, the military said.
A reconnaissance flight over Ciudad Mier in Tamaulipas state spotted several gunmen in front of a property, according to a statement from Mexico's Defense Department.
When troops on the ground moved in, gunmen opened fire, starting a gunbattle that...
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Mexico's military says 25 suspects have been shot dead by soldiers in a gunbattle near the U.S. border.
A spokesman says soldiers were patrolling around noon Thursday in the town of General Trevino when they came under fire from gunmen on a ranch. The troops returned fire and killed at least 25 people.
The spokesman says three people believed to be kidnap victims were rescued.
He was not authorized to be...
LONDON (AP) — People who take bone-strengthening drugs for several years may have a slightly higher risk of esophageal cancer, a new study suggests.
The findings are in contrast to another recent study that used the same database of 80,000 patients and concluded that there was no link between the drugs and esophageal cancer. That study was published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Authors of the new study say they...
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