'Looted' ancient Cambodia statues returned by New York museum

Jun 13, 2013

'Looted' ancient Cambodia statues returned by New York museum

Two 10th-century Cambodian stone statues displayed for nearly two decades at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art were returned to their homeland Tuesday in a high-profile case of allegedly looted artifacts. The voluntary return of the pair of “Kneeling Attendants” statues by one of ...

Japan-U.S. drill to retake remote island kicks off

Jun 12, 2013

Japan-U.S. drill to retake remote island kicks off

The United States and Japan on Monday began a drill in California that simulates retaking remote islands using MV-22 Osprey aircraft for landing exercises, at the request of the U.S. military. It is the first time the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces have ...

Lawmaker traces origin of IRS row to Cincinnati

Jun 12, 2013

Lawmaker traces origin of IRS row to Cincinnati

An Internal Revenue Service manager in Cincinnati singled out the first tea party case that prompted widespread targeting of conservative groups, and an agent from the same office developed the initial search criteria for the initiative, according to the House oversight committee’s top Democrat. ...

Jun 12, 2013

U.S. diplomatic security probed in sex, drugs rings

A U.S. watchdog has launched an inquiry into claims that diplomatic security officials tried to cover up alleged sex-and-drugs charges against agents and diplomats, an official said Monday. State Department diplomatic security agents are responsible for protecting 275 U.S. embassies as well as the ...

Jun 12, 2013

Quarter of NYC 'could be flood zone by 2050s'

By the 2050s, more than 800,000 New York City residents could be living in a flood zone that covers a quarter of the city’s land, with New Yorkers sweating out as many 32 Celsius days as is now normal for Birmingham, Alabama, as effects ...

U.S. closer to helping embattled Syrian rebels

Jun 11, 2013

U.S. closer to helping embattled Syrian rebels

The Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of sending U.S. air power to enforce a no-fly zone over the nation ripped by two years of civil war, officials said Sunday. White House ...

No breakthroughs at Obama-Xi summit

Jun 10, 2013

No breakthroughs at Obama-Xi summit

It was orchestrated as the shirt-sleeves summit, where President Barack Obama, embarking on his second term with a strategic focus on Asia, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, starting his first year of a decade-long rule, might cool tensions between their rival nations and forge ...

Jun 8, 2013

Japan banks to provide U.S. citizens' account info to IRS

Japanese financial institutions will be required starting in 2015 to provide U.S. tax authorities with information about accounts held by Americans, sources said Friday. The Japanese and U.S. governments entered on Friday the final stage of negotiations for signing a memorandum of understanding on ...

Jun 7, 2013

U.S. concerns eased ahead of China talks

by Ko Hirano

The Abe administration’s rejection of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s revisionist views has apparently eased U.S. concerns that Japan was giving China an easy opening to exploit and drive a wedge between Washington and Tokyo. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera’s dismissal Saturday of recent remarks by ...

Jun 7, 2013

British, U.S. music no longer dominates world

When John Lennon declared that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, it didn’t seem that far-fetched. It was 1966, and rock ‘n’ roll was the new religion sweeping the globe. Commentators railed against the threat that popular music posed to the moral fabric ...