The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate and stimulus programs unchanged, five days after lawmakers rejected the government’s nomination for its policy board. The central bank kept its key rates between zero and 0.1 percent, according to its statement released in Tokyo Tuesday. It left its 30 trillion yen ($368 billion) asset-purchase fund and 35 trillion yen credit-lending program unchanged, in line with the forecasts of 12 of 13 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The upper house of par

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ― The head of Mali’s military junta made clear Monday that he would have a powerful say over how the country is run in the weeks ahead, and does not want foreign forces helping reclaim the country’s north from rebels who declared independence.In televised comments, Capt. Amadou Sanogo said he is asking Mali’s partners for equipment and logistical help. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has been preparing a force of up to 3,000 soldiers to be deployed in Mali to hel

PARIS (AFP) ― Carla Bruni has swapped the front row of the runway shows for the front row of political rallies, and Valerie Trierweiler has stopped writing about politics and started being written about.The next first lady of France, an unofficial but much talked-about role, will be one of these two elegant companions, and both have had to adapt to a discreet but important role in their respective partners’ campaigns.At first, Bruni might appear better prepared for the campaign trail.She was new

Radioactive iodine was found in kelp off the U.S. West Coast following last year's earthquake-triggered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, according to a new study. It was already known that radioactive iodine 131 (131-I), carried in the atmosphere, made it across the Pacific within days of the March 11, 2011 tsunami disaster, albeit in minuscule amounts.But marine biologists at California State

Syrian forces have opened fire across two tense borders, killing a TV journalist in Lebanon and at least two people in a refugee camp in Turkey on the eve of a deadline for a cease-fire plan that seems all but certain to fail.Across Syria, activists reported particularly heavy violence with more than 125 people killed in the past two days.The Obama administration expressed outrage at the violence

British police chief inspector Mark Brew, 47, has been fired after he was caught using a work phone to download pornography.Brew, who had under his command more than 100 officers on Merseyside’s Matrix anti-gun unit, admitted to using his police-issued phone to watch porn and exchange messages with two women colleagues.“We can confirm that a misconduct hearing took place last week for a serving police officer. Following this hearing, the officer, a chief inspector, was dismissed with immediate e

Japan’s economy minister said Monday two nuclear reactors tentatively met government safety standards even though completing improvements will take several years, paving the way for final approval for their startup soon.All but one of Japan‘s 54 reactors are offline for regular safety checks, and the last will be shut down in May. Residents fear another disaster like the Fukushima crisis, but Japan faces a severe power shortage if reactors are not restarted.The government issued new safety guide

CAIRO (AP) ― The race for Egypt’s first president after ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak was not supposed to look like this.A year ago, anyone from the old regime seemed too tainted to ever hope for power. Though rising to political prominence, the Muslim Brotherhood promised it wouldn’t run for the presidency, wary of seeming too dominant.Now, the two main contenders to rule Egypt are the Brotherhood’s top strongman and the most feared and powerful figure of Hosni Mubarak’s inner circle ― marking

TEHRAN (AP) ― Iran’s nuclear chief signaled Tehran’s envoys may bring a compromise offer to the talks this week with world powers: promising to eventually stop producing its most highly enriched uranium, while not totally abandoning its ability to make nuclear fuel.The proposal outlined late Sunday seeks to directly address one of the potential main issues in the talks scheduled to begin Friday between Iran and the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany.The U.S. and others have rai

Moammar Gadhafi‘s son and former heir apparent Seif al-Islam will be put on trial inside Libya and there will be a verdict before mid-June, a Libyan official said Monday.The decision comes despite appeals by rights groups to Libyan authorities to hand him over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague due to fears that he may not get a fair trial in Libya.A trial in the capital Tripoli would however mark a small step forward for the central government, which has been struggling to unify t