Hiromu Nonaka, second from left in the front row of a photo of Japan’s 1998 cabinet that hangs in his office, and at right last month. Mr. Nonaka rose to chief cabinet secretary, but as a descendant of a class of outcasts further advancement was blocked.Credit...Ko Sasaki for The New York Times KYOTO, Japan — For Japan, the crowning of Hiromu Nonaka as its top leader would have been as significant

WASHINGTON � Timothy F. Geithner, who moved closer to confirmation as Treasury secretary on Thursday, told senators that President Obama believed China was “manipulating” its currency, suggesting a more confrontational stance toward that country than under the Bush administration. Mr. Geithner’s comment was made in writing to the Senate Finance Committee hours before it voted 18 to 5 to recommend

Helen Suzman, the internationally renowned anti-apartheid campaigner who befriended the imprisoned Nelson Mandela and offered an often lonely voice for change among South Africa’s white minority, died in Johannesburg early on Thursday, a family member said. She was 91. Her son-in-law, Jeffrey Jowell, a law professor in London, said she died peacefully at her home in the affluent northern suburbs o

KABUL, Afghanistan � When it comes to governing this violent, fractious land, everything, it seems, has its price. Want to be a provincial police chief? It will cost you $100,000. Want to drive a convoy of trucks loaded with fuel across the country? Be prepared to pay $6,000 per truck, so the police will not tip off the Taliban. Need to settle a lawsuit over the ownership of your house? About $25,

KABUL, Afghanistan � When it comes to governing this violent, fractious land, everything, it seems, has its price. Want to be a provincial police chief? It will cost you $100,000. Want to drive a convoy of trucks loaded with fuel across the country? Be prepared to pay $6,000 per truck, so the police will not tip off the Taliban. Need to settle a lawsuit over the ownership of your house? About $25,

Ahmad al-Shugairi, host of a TV show on religious themes, with students at his cafe in Jidda.Credit...Bryan Denton for The New York Times JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — As Ahmad al-Shugairi took the stage, dressed in a flowing white gown and headdress, he clutched a microphone and told his audience that he had no religious training or titles: “I am not a sheik.” But over the next two hours, he worked the c

HONG KONG — China has bought more than $1 trillion of American debt, but as the global downturn has intensified, Beijing is starting to keep more of its money at home, a move that could have painful effects for American borrowers. The declining Chinese appetite for United States debt, apparent in a series of hints from Chinese policy makers over the last two weeks, with official statistics due for

日本でも高校生や中学生が母親になるという話を聞くことがありますが、アルゼンチンには17歳で7人も子どもがいる少女がいるそうです。年齢と子どもの数を見ると何歳のときに初めて子どもを生んだのか計算が合わなくなりそうですが、なぜ7人も子どもができたのか気になるところです。 詳細は以下より。 Argentine girl, 17, has 7 children 17 year old girl has 7 kids - Interesting : Photos, videos and fun アルゼンチン・コルドバ州にあるレオーネという街に住む少女が、男の子1人・女の子6人、合計7人の子どもを産んで育てているそうです。少女は14歳の時に初めて長男を出産し、続いて15歳の時に女の子の三つ子を出産、そして今年に入って更に女の子の三つ子を出産したとのこと。また、少女は流産の経験もあるそうです。 少女と子