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Bangladesh factories close for World Cup

DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh garment export firms on Sunday protested against government orders to shut down factories during the cricket World Cup, saying the move would affect the country’s economy.
Garment factories have been instructed to close for six hours every evening until the final on April 2 so that power cuts do not affect avid [...]

Read More » No commentFebruary 28, 2011

China lowers its economic growth target a tad

BEIJING – China is slightly lowering its annual economic growth target, to 7 percent from 8 percent, the premier said Sunday, in a move that signals a shift in government priorities to put the breakneck economy on a more sustainable footing.
The tweak to the growth rate, announced by Premier Wen Jiabao in an online chat [...]

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India’s embattled government in tightrope budget act

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India’s finance minister Pranab Mukherjee faces a tightrope walk Monday in presenting the nation’s budget as he seeks to tame rampant inflation, sustain high growth and rein in the deficit.
Mukherjee, 76, known as a canny tactician, is unveiling the budget as the left-leaning Congress government has been under fierce public and [...]

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India and England in sensational cricket tie

BANGALORE, India (AFP) – India and England tied a thrilling World Cup clash here on Sunday in a match which yielded 676 runs and was adorned by blistering centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss.
England, chasing a World Cup record 339 to win, finished on 338 for eight having scored 13 off the last over [...]

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North Korea threatens to attack South Korea, US

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Sunday to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and “mercilessly” attack South Korea and the United States, as the allies prepared for joint military drills which the North considers a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korea routinely issues threats over the annual joint military drills, but its latest warning could rekindle tensions [...]

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China uses whistles, water, police on protests

SHANGHAI – Large numbers of police — and new tactics like shrill whistles and street cleaning trucks — squelched overt protests in China for a second Sunday in a row after more calls for peaceful gatherings modeled on recent democratic movements in the Middle East.
Near Shanghai’s People’s Square, uniformed police blew whistles nonstop and shouted [...]

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Thailand’s ‘Red Shirts’ urge release of colleagues

BANGKOK – Seven recently freed leaders of Thailand’s anti-government “Red Shirt” movement called Sunday for the release of more than 180 of their colleagues who remain jailed since a violent military crackdown last year.
The seven gathered for a ceremony at Bangkok’s Wat Pathuwanaram temple, where six people were fatally shot last year as the army [...]

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American contractor appears in Pakistani court

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – An American detained for visa violations in northwest Pakistan is a contractor who had worked on a U.S.-funded construction project in the region, a security official said.
Pakistan’s intelligence agency says it is scrutinizing the details of Americans in the country after the arrest last month of a CIA employee for shooting dead [...]

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South Korea indicts 5 suspected Somali pirates

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean prosecutors say they have indicted five suspected Somali pirates for attempted murder, hostage taking and robbery. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
The five men were arrested last month after South Korean commandos raided the South Korean-operated Samho Jewelry, which had been seized by pirates a week earlier.
The commandos [...]

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Philippines marks 25 years since ‘People Power’

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said Friday that the struggle for good governance and the fight against the corruption that characterized the brutal regime of Ferdinand Marcos continues 25 years after the late dictator’s ouster in the “People Power” revolution.
In a speech to mark the four-day revolt in 1986 that restored democracy [...]

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