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Thai PM orders more security after bank blasts

BANGKOK – Thailand’s prime minister ordered stepped-up security in Bangkok on Sunday after four banks were targeted with small explosive devices.
The attacks Saturday night, in which no one was hurt, came a day after the Supreme Court ordered $1.4 billion of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra’s assets seized for corruption. [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 28, 2010

Toyota’s president to visit China on Monday

TOKYO – Fresh from a grilling by U.S. lawmakers, Toyota President Akio Toyoda will speak Monday in China about his company’s quality problems, seeking to boost confidence and ease consumer worries in the world’s biggest auto market.
Toyoda, who testified at a U.S. Congressional hearing last week about the spate of [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 28, 2010

Video of Taliban commander leaves fate unclear

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan – The Pakistani Taliban released a video of their militant chief, Hakimullah Mehsud, but his taped comments fail to prove he survived a U.S. missile strike earlier this year.
U.S. and Pakistani officials have become increasingly confident that the brash militant commander died of wounds from a drone-fired [...]

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India and Naga rebels set for peace talks

NEW DELHI (AFP) – The Indian government will hold talks with Nagaland separatists to strike a peace deal, a rebel Naga leader said on Sunday.
Leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), which is fighting for the expansion of the mountainous Nagaland state in India’s remote northeast into a “Greater [...]

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Tsunami warning lifted; Waves reach Japan, Russia

TOKYO – The tsunami from Chile’s deadly earthquake hit Japan’s main islands and the shores of Russia on Sunday, but the smaller-than-expected waves prompted the lifting of a Pacific-wide alert. Hawaii and other Pacific islands were also spared.
In Japan, where hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from shorelines, [...]

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China urges checks after deadly fireworks blast

BEIJING – China has issued an urgent order to local authorities to strengthen safety measures after an explosion triggered by Lunar New Year fireworks killed 21 people and injured 48 in a southern village.
The State Council’s Work Safety Commission said in a notice that authorities around the country should learn from [...]

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US envoy voices hope of reviving nuclear talks soon

TOKYO (AFP) – A US envoy Saturday stepped up pressure on North Korea to return to nuclear disarmament negotiations, voicing hope they will resume “fairly soon.”
Stephen Bosworth, on a tour of Asia aimed at reviving the stalled six-party dialogue, said all the member states except North Korea “are prepared [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 27, 2010

China premier: 2010 ‘most complicated’ for economy

BEIJING – China’s premier says 2010 will be the most complicated year for the country’s economy, and he promises the government will fight inflation and soaring property prices.
Premier Wen Jiabao answered questions in a rare online chat Saturday with citizens worried about corruption, food safety and other social problems.
Wen also [...]

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Karzai calls Indian PM, regrets Kabul attacks

NEW DELHI – Afghan President Hamid Karzai called India’s prime minister on Saturday to express regret over the deaths of at least six Indians in a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul, as New Delhi sent an air force jet to repatriate the bodies.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed India’s [...]

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Cathay Pacific to buy Air China Cargo stake

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Hong Kong’s largest carrier, will invest 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million) in affiliate Air China Ltd’s cargo unit as a global economic rebound revives exports in the Chinese mainland.
Cathay will control 49 percent of Air China Cargo, including a stake to be held by an offshore trust, [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 27, 2010