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New life begins for Nepal’s Maoist ex-rebels

Nepal’s Maoist fighters on Saturday began the process of leaving the camps they have called home since the end of their insurgency in 2006, to join the regular army or start new lives.
The historic transition follows a breakthrough peace deal signed on November 1 by the Maoists and the three other major [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 20, 2011

Central Bangkok ’safe’ from floods: Thai PM

Thailand’s premier declared central Bangkok safe from the kingdom’s devastating floods Saturday, as the death toll passed 600 and President Barack Obama vowed the US will give whatever help it can.
Thailand is suffering its worst flooding in half a century, and 5.4 million people are still affected around the kingdom, but Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 20, 2011

Risk Of Hard Landing Rises As China Begins Monetary Easing

Chinese policymakers have begun to selectively ease macroeconomic policy to support growth, according to Barclays’ analysts.  While full on easing won’t come until 2012, China will face a significant economic slowdown as the export sector feels the impact of a fragile global economy, and residential investment, which makes up 12% of GDP, falls drastically as [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

China police in multi-million-dollar fake drug bust

Chinese police said Thursday they had seized two-billion-yuan ($315-million) worth of counterfeit drugs and packaging in nationwide raids on fake medicine, the second such bust in recent weeks.
Police arrested 1,770 suspects and broke up more than 1,400 dens that made or sold fake medicine during the operation, which involved 16,000 police officers, the [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

China’s Wen warns “outside forces” off sea dispute

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Friday that “outside forces” had no excuse to get involved in a complex dispute over the South China Sea, offering a veiled warning to the United States and others not to stick their noses into the sensitive issue.
But Wen also struck a softer line [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Chinese craft returns from space docking mission

BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that the safe return of an unmanned spacecraft that docked twice with an orbiting module was a major step in preparation for the launch of its own space station.
The Shenzhou 8 craft landed by parachute in China’s western desert late Thursday after more than two weeks in [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Taiwan official pleads guilty in US case

A Taiwanese official will soon be deported after pleading guilty Friday to mistreating two housekeepers brought from the Philippines to work in her Missouri home, US prosecutors said.
Liu Hsien-hsien, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested last week for allegedly treating her Filipino housekeepers like slaves.
Liu — who [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Pakistan hold nerves to beat Sri Lanka

Pakistani bowlers held their nerves to stop a threatening Sri Lankan team to win the third day-night international by 21 runs here on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Umar Gul (3-48) bowled well in the final overs to make sure good work by spinners Saeed Ajmal (3-42) and [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Philippines’ Arroyo arrested for vote rigging

Philippine police arrested ex-president Gloria Arroyo at her hospital bed on Friday on charges of conspiring with a feared warlord to rig an election, an offence that could lead to life in jail.
The events capped a tumultuous week in Philippine politics that had seen the government block Arroyo, 64, from leaving [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

Aerial view of tsunami zone: cleaner but barren

SENDAI, Japan (AP) — From 1,000 feet (300 meters) up, the view of the tsunami-battered Japanese seaside communities shows striking progress: much of the rubble, crumpled cars and other debris is gone.
Yet seen from a helicopter Friday carrying Associated Press journalists, there are few signs of rebuilding eight months after [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011