U.S.: Russian Agents Reportedly Landing In Vienna
July 9, 2010 0946 GMT
A plane believed to be carrying 10 Russian agents landed in Vienna as part of a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington, BBC reported July 9.
Germany: Troops In Afghanistan Remain - FM
July 9, 2010 0910 GMT
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on July 9 that his country's military presence in Afghanistan will not be affected by Berlin's proposed austerity measures, The Local reported. He said that Germany, which is the third largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan, will keep its promises.
India: Iran Proposes Investment Protection Treaty
July 9, 2010 0901 GMT
An Iranian minister has proposed to his Indian counterpart that their countries sign an investment protection treaty and that Indian corporations invest in Iranian refineries and power plants expected to be disinvested, The Asian Age website reported July 9. Iranian Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance Shamseddin Hoseyni made the proposal on July 8 in New Delhi to his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee.
Pakistan: Dead From Blast Up To 48
July 9, 2010 0833 GMT
The number of dead increased on July 9 to 48 following a blast in tehsil Yakka Ghund in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal region, Ary News reported. About 70 people have been injured. Some 28 prisoners at a nearby prison escaped when parts of the compound were destroyed, according to DPA. Curfew has been imposed, according to Ary. The blast also destroyed about 50 shops and people were trapped under the debris, Ary reported.
Russia: Convicted Spies Pardoned, Named
July 9, 2010 0819 GMT
Russian prisoners convicted of spying for the West and are part of a swap with the United States have been named and pardoned by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, BBC reported July 9. They include: Igor Sutyagin, a nuclear specialist convicted of passing information to a U.K. company allegedly serving as a front by the CIA; Sergei Skripal, a retired colonel for intelligence agency GRU and sentenced in 2006 to 13 years for spying for Britain; Alexander Zaporozhsky, a former External Intelligence Service colonel, who was sentenced in 2003 to 18 years on espionage charges; and Gennady Vasilenko, who is believed to be a former officer for the former intelligence agency KGB who was working as a security officer for Russia's NTV television and was arrested in 2005.
China: Collective Contracts Needed - Union Body
July 9, 2010 0747 GMT
Collective contracts for Chinese workers can bring higher wages and more rights, while avoiding strikes or "other extreme measures," a spokesman for All China Federation of Trade Unions said on July 8, People's Daily Online reported July 9. But first, legislation needs to be in place that will make such a mechanism mandatory, Li Shouzhen said.
U.S.: Russia Attributes Successful Spy Swap To Relations
July 9, 2010 0709 GMT
Moscow attributes the impending spy swap's efficiency with the United States to strong relations between the nations and their presidents, Interfax reported July 9, citing an unnamed, highly placed Kremlin source.
South Korea, U.S.: Naval Drills In Yellow Sea Planned
July 9, 2010 0701 GMT
South Korea and the United States will conduct a naval exercise in the Yellow Sea, but the date and details have not been settled, AFP reported July 9, citing a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman. The drills are a response to the ChonAn incident, according to the spokesman.
China: Work Resumes At Honda Plant
July 9, 2010 0641 GMT
Production briefly ceased July 7-8 when several dozen workers refused to return to work at Honda Motor's export-only factory in China, South China Morning Post reported July 9. A company spokesman said it was not an organized strike. Employees were calling for higher wages and improved working conditions, he said. A compromise was reached and operations returned to normal on July 9, according to the spokesman.
Pakistan: Suicide Attack Leaves 13 Dead
July 9, 2010 0628 GMT
At least 13 have died and 50 have been injured in a suicide attack on the tax collector's office gate for tehsil Yakka Ghund, lower Mohmand, Pakistan, Ary News reported July 9. A motorcyclist tried to enter the gate, then blew himself up, leaving a deep crater, according to the news agency.
Pakistan: Several Die In Blast
July 9, 2010 0535 GMT
Several died July 9 in Pakistan's Yakaghund village when a blast hit a commercial area, AP reported. The village is in the Mohmand tribal area, which borders the Afghan border.
Japan: PM Will Continue In Post
July 9, 2010 0528 GMT
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan will carry on in office regardless of election results on July 11 for the upper house of parliament, Kyodo reported July 9, citing Yukio Edano, secretary-general of Kan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The DPJ's goal of winning 54 seats remains unchanged, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said.
North Korea: South Pleased With UNSC Draft
July 9, 2010 0522 GMT
South Korea officials on July 9 said they were pleased with a U.N. Security Council draft that condemns North Korea for the ChonAn incident, Yonhap reported. A vote on the draft is expected later in the day, an unnamed South Korean Foreign Ministry official said. While the statement is not legally binding, he said, it has strong content and could be the basis of future steps. The draft did not contain all that South Korea had been asking for, the official said, adding that it was difficult to convince some that it was an issue of international proportions. He said both the South Korean and Chinese sides worked hard to show flexibility in the matter.
South Korea: Key Interest Rate Raised
July 9, 2010 0508 GMT
The Bank of Korea's policymakers on July 9 increased the benchmark seven-day repo rate to 2.25 percent from 2 percent, in the first hike since August 2008, Yonhap reported.
Israel: Inquiry Criticizes Flotilla Raid’s Planning
July 8, 2010 2301 GMT
An army inquiry into the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla criticized Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) planning but did not single out any military officials, Ynet reported July 8. The inquiry’s report said there was a lack of coordination between forces involved in the raid, mishaps in planning and failure to make use of available intelligence. The report said the military planners thought IDF forces would only face low-level violence.
Russia: Foreign Ministry Confirms Spy Swap
July 8, 2010 2246 GMT
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed July 8 the exchange of 10 suspected Russian spies for four Russian prisoners accused of spying for the United States, RIA Novosti reported. The ministry said the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency reached an agreement in the context of improving Russian-U.S. relations.
U.S.: China Not A Currency Manipulator - Treasury
July 8, 2010 2221 GMT
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner did not label China a currency manipulator in a semi-annual report to Congress on July 8, AFP reported. Geithner said that the yuan is still undervalued, three weeks after China allowed its currency more flexibility, but the currency's appreciation is what matters. The report was in compliance with a law that requires the government to determine whether a foreign economy is manipulating its currency against the U.S. dollar.
Ecuador: Government To Nationalize Oil Fields Without Investment
July 8, 2010 2200 GMT
Ecuadorian Natural Resources Minister Wilson Pastor said that the government will take control of the country's oil fields if foreign companies decide not to invest further, El Universo reported July 8. Pastor said that nationalized fields would be administered by state-run oil firms Petroamazonas and Petroecuador, adding that his statements were intended to spur investment.
U.S.: Judge Orders Spies To Be Deported
July 8, 2010 2109 GMT
U.S. Federal Judge Kimba Wood ordered 10 defendants who pleaded guilty to being Russian spies to be deported immediately, AP reported July 8.
Palestinian Territories: PLO Not Against Direct Negotiations
July 8, 2010 2102 GMT
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) does not object to direct negotiations with Israel, Asharq Al-Awsat reported July 8. Erekat said the PLO will negotiate if Israel agrees to begin where negotiations left off under the government of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, stop settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem and respond positively to security and border issues. He also said that negotiations would not happen if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to talk about "the resumption of settlement activity, the building of walls and the imposition of facts on the ground."