The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has announced it will dramatically expand the country’s money supply, as it tries to stimulate the economy growth. The Japanese central bank vowed to boost an asset purchase programme and meet a 2% inflation target in two years, after a two-day meeting, the first chaired by new governor Haruhiko Kuroda. Japan’s economy, the world’s third-largest, has been…
…ations that North Korea is preparing for a missile test. Pyongyang has moved two Musudan ballistic missiles to its east coast. Estimates of their range vary, but some suggest the missiles could travel 2,500 miles. That would put US bases on Guam within range, although it is not believed that the Musudan has been tested before. John Kerry is making his first trip to Asia since becoming secretary of…
Rescue teams in China are struggling to reach survivors of a powerful 6.6-magnitude earthquake that killed 203 and injured some 11,500 in remote hill villages in Sichuan province. Emergency workers dressed in bright orange uniforms were making their way to remote areas on foot after roads were blocked by landslides. Soldiers worked all night to search villages and treat the injured, while local p…
…e in average life expectancy between men and women. Prof. Katsuiku Hirokawa of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and colleagues analyzed blood samples from 356 healthy men and women aged between 20 and 90. A Japanese study suggests women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly They measured levels of white blood cells and molecules called cytokines which int…
…ercussions as far as Japan-China relations are concerned. It is important that we avoid misunderstanding and unforeseen problems.” Osamu Fujimura told reporters that the government had set aside 2.05 billion yen ($26 million) to pay for the three islands. Japan said on Monday that it was buying the islands to promote their stable and peaceful management – a move that followed a bid by…
, while 480,000 of Nissan’s and 45,000 Mazda cars are affected. Top four Japanese carmakers are recalling 3.4 million cars globally over a defect in passenger airbags The cars were sold between 2000 and 2004. The firms said the defective part was supplied by parts maker Takata Corp. Shares in Takata fell 9% to 1,819 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday. Ryo Sakai, a spokesperson for…
South Korea has decided to raise its alert level to “vital threat” following reports that North Korea is preparing for a missile test. At least one ballistic missile with an estimated 2,000-mile (3,000 km) range is fuelled and ready for launch, US and South Korean sources say. Pyongyang has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region. The threat…
European markets follow Asian shares downward on fears that the plan to bailout Cyprus could trigger an escalation of the eurozone debt crisis. The EU and IMF want all bank customers to pay a levy in return for a bailout worth 10 billion euros ($13 billion). London’s 100 share index is 1% lower, while France and Italy are down 2%. The euro was also affected. Against both the pound and the d…
Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President JFK, has been asked by President Barack Obama to be the US ambassador to Japan. Caroline Kennedy was a key supporter of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but has largely shunned political life. Caroline Kennedy has been asked by President Barack Obama to be the US ambassador to Japan She considered running for a New York senate seat when Hillary Clinto…
…n Thursday. North Korea has shifted a missile with “considerable range” to its east coast The talks involving North and South Korea, the US, Russia, China and Japan were last held in late 2008. Japan said it was co-operating closely with the US and South Korea to monitor North Korea’s next move. Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said that although the rhetoric was “increasingly provoc…
A statement attributed to North Korea’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee on Tuesday warned the situation on the Korean peninsula is heading for a nuclear war. The statement said: “The situation on the Korean peninsula is heading for a thermo-nuclear war. “In the event of war, we don’t want foreigners living in South Korea to get hurt.” A statement attributed to North K…
The sale came amid continued warnings from environmentalists that tuna stocks are dwindling and overfished. This year’s record-breaking fish was caught off north-eastern Japan and weighed in at 222 kg (489 lbs), some 47 kg lighter than last year’s prize-winner, which fetched 56 million yen. The prices do not necessarily reflect quality or size and are more linked to publicity and sett…
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant. The rice sample came from a Fukushima city farm about 50 km from the plant. Japanese government is considering banning shipments from the area it was found. There have been a series of scares over radiation in food in Japan in recent months…
…fatal in 60% of human cases, but its spread has been limited because it is not passed between humans easily. It has led to the deaths of millions of birds, but has only killed around 300 people since 2003. There are more than a dozen strains of bird flu in the wild. The most virulent are H5 and H7, while the H5N1 subtype is the deadliest. Scientists have previously warned that H5N1 could mutate i…
2012 President Obama State of the Union Barack Obama's State of the Union address 2012 Here is the Speech…. according to the New York Times…but not on….. are many other issues that effect the American People…yesterday, today & tomorrow ……that were not addressed in the speech at all…….as there are so many problems around us it is hard…
…ird parties that track people’s online movements, says Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs. Google’s business is built on advertising – the company earned $28 billion from its AdWords service in 2010. Google’s new privacy policy allows it to “streamline” data from Android phones, YouTube, Gmail and web browsing to target its adverts even more precisely towards individual web users. Moz…
But the United States and North Korea’s neighbors insist it will be a disguised long-range missile test, contravening UN resolutions. The resolutions were imposed after a similar launch in April 2009. Japan is particularly concerned as the last North Korean rocket was launched over the north of the country. Japan announces that will shoot down a North Korean rocket if necessary, as new sate…
…lant, which is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), have been using sea water to cool the reactors. Waste water has built up and some contaminated liquid has been released into the sea. A 20 km (12 miles) exclusion zone remains in place around the plant. “The nuclear reactors have reached a state of cold shutdown and therefore we can now confirm that we have come to the end of t…
A group of scientists from Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands is pushing to publish research about how they created a man-made flu virus that could potentially wipe out civilization. The deadly virus is a genetically tweaked version of the H5N1 bird flu strain, but is far more infectious and could pass easily between millions of people at a time. The research has caused a storm of controve…
George Enescu Festival 2011 online George Enescu Festival 2011: prestigious european classical music event George Enescu International Competition 2011 George Enescu Festival 2011 celebrates George Enescu 130th birthday anniversary The 20th edition of one of the most appreciated classical music events in Europe, George Enescu Festival 2011, starts on September 1, in Bucharest, Romania. &…
…him. Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS (although he had denied HIV infection in the previous years) in 1987, said his partner Jim Hutton, and died of bronchopneumonia as an AIDS complication on November 24, 1991. Mercury left most of his wealth (his home and recording royalties) to Mary Austin, his former girlfriend who was a great comfort for him in his latest years. Freddie Mercury said about her…
…u, bringing high winds and torrential rain. Typhoon is tracking a path across Tokyo towards Fukushima prefecture and is then expected to travel up along the north-east coast, which was battered by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Four people have been found dead after heavy rain and flooding in central and western Japan due to the storm’s approach and another two are missing in the centr…
…. The Senate on Friday backed the plan, which includes a rise in VAT and the pension age, a fuel price hike and also the sale of state assets. Following that vote, shares in most European markets rose 2-3%, and the interest rate paid on Italy’s 10-year bonds dropped. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has welcomed the “significant progress” made in tackling the p…
A Japanese fishing vessel swept away by the March 2011 tsunami has been spotted bobbing in the seas near British Columbia in western Canada. The trawler is part of the 5 million tons of debris that were swept into the ocean by the devastating tsunami when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Japan. The 23ft wall of water struck the east coast of the island nation following a 9.0 earthquake, sweeping…
Earth Hour 2012 made famous landmarks from all around the world, which normally light up the night sky, to plunge into darkness today to raise the profile of climate change. Sydney’s iconic Harbor Bridge and Opera House were among the first buildings around the world to begin the blackout. Later on Washington’s National Cathedral, London’s Clock Tower, the Great Wall of China an…
Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan declares state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and YobeNigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups. In a televised…
Somalia famine killed 260,000 people from 2010 to 2012A new report by the UN food agency and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network has found that nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from…
Cheetah scratches Botswana President Ian Khama on his faceBotswana President Ian Khama needed stitches on his face after being scratched by a cheetah, officials say. The animal was reportedly being fed in its enclosure at an…
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika hospitalized in Paris after suffering mini-strokeAlgerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has suffered a mini-stroke and has been flown to hospital in Paris, the state news agency said. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 76, had a…
Libya: Explosion at French embassy in TripoliA car bomb has exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, wounding two guards and causing extensive damage. The blast completely destroyed the…
Blue diamond unearthed at Cullinan mine in South AfricaA rare blue diamond has been unearthed at Cullinan mine in South Africa. The 25.5-carat stone was recovered by Petra Diamonds at its Cullinan mine and is expected to bring…
Angelina Jolie to play her mother Marcheline Bertrand in biopic
Anna Wintour bans Kris Jenner from Met Gala 2013
Yahoo buys Tumblr for $1.1 billion
John Lennon guitar sells for $408,000 at Julien’s Auctions
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Nurses who looked after Boston bombing suspect could not stop themselves caring for him
Zahra Shahid Hussain funeral: Murdered PTI’s vice-president buried in Karachi
Madeleine McCann case: British cleaners and Portuguese manual workers among new suspects
Ariel Castro prison activity
Kim Kardashian finally puts her swollen feet in flats
Eva Longoria humiliating wardrobe malfunction at Cannes Film Festival
Imran Khan blames MQM’s Altaf Hussain for Zahra Shahid Hussain’s killing in Karachi
Richard DeCoatsworth: Former police officer once hailed as hero arrested in Port Richmond
Poweball jackpot: One lottery ticket bought in Florida wins its lucky owner $590 million jackpot
Obama administration knew IRS was targeting conservative groups since June 2012
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart split after cheating scandal
EU bans refillable bottles and dipping bowls of olive oil at restaurant tables
Eurovision 2013 winner is Denmark’s Emmelie de Forest with Only Teardrops
Zahra Shahid Hussain shot dead in Karachi
Phil Robertson, Miss Kay and Uncle Si do commercials for Clayton Homes
Manotox: Nip+Fab man only anti-ageing product claims to reduce wrinkles and fine lines without surgery
Eurovision winners over the years. Where are they now?
Mood lipstick: Green lipstick containing Red 27 reacts to your body chemistry to become perfect pink hue
KORA Organics: Miranda Kerr unveils skincare line featuring Noni fruit
Eurovision 2013: 26 countries competing in Malmö Grand Final
Rome: Thousands rally to oppose Italy’s austerity measures
Michelle Obama debuts her new longer hairdo
Ariel Castro’s three dogs found in better health than his victims
Real Housewives of Miami: Adriana de Moura marries Frederic Marq wearing a grey wedding dress
Beyoncé posts defensive note amid pregnancy rumors
US Airways flight makes belly landing at Newark Airport