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Suu Kyi party to register for Myanmar elections

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition announced its return to Myanmar’s political arena Friday, as the country’s nascent reforms received a dramatic seal of approval from the United States.
After speaking directly to Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for the first time, in a call from Air Force One, US President Barack Obama said Hillary Clinton [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011

‘Memogate’ scandal reveals Pakistani splits

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A secret memo seeking Washington’s help reining in the Pakistani military has brought into sharp relief the tensions between Pakistan’s shaky civilian government and its powerful army generals. The resulting scandal threatens Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. and perhaps the country’s president.
The ambassador, Husain Haqqani, has denied [...]

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Pakistan police say no leads on kidnapped American

Three months after a group of gunmen kidnapped a sick and elderly American development expert in Pakistan, police said Friday they believe he is still alive but have no leads in the case.
Police in the eastern city of Lahore said they have released the only witnesses, have no crime scene evidence and cannot [...]

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Pakistan envoy to US offers resignation in memo row

Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Hussain Haqqani, said on Thursday that he had offered to resign over reports that he sought US help against the country’s powerful military.
Haqqani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, has played a key role in helping Pakistan’s civilian government navigate turbulent relations with Washington that nosedived over the US [...]

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Australia tells China not to interfere

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has assured China the boosting of US troops on Australian soil was not directed at Beijing while warning the country not to interfere in Canberra’s security decisions.
US President Barack Obama announced in Canberra on Wednesday that the US would deploy up to 2,500 Marines in the northern [...]

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China says fall in home prices spreading

The number of major Chinese cities posting a drop in home prices doubled in October, the government said Friday, in a sign efforts to cool the country’s surging property market are working.
The price of new homes in 34 out of 70 Chinese cities tracked by the government dropped in October from September, doubling [...]

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Japan calls on Germany to build debt ‘firewall’

Japan called on Germany on Friday to step up and help plug the widening hole in the eurozone’s finances, saying Berlin should play a leading role in creating a debt “firewall”.
Japan, along with China, was one of the first ports of call when the bloc began looking abroad for cash to keep [...]

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Germany gears up for Afghan meet with Pakistan talks

Germany on Friday welcomed a promise from Pakistan to work “without hidden agendas” in Afghanistan, as it gears up to host a key international conference on the war-torn country.
More than 90 delegations from all over the world will gather in Bonn on December 5, with Afghanistan’s neighbours playing a key role.
German Foreign Minister [...]

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Japan bans Fukushima rice for radiation

Japan on Thursday announced its first ban on rice produced near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant after samples showed radioactive contamination well above legal limits.
The findings will further worry nervous consumers, already fretting over the safety of domestic produce, despite its previous solid safety reputation.
Authorities in Fukushima prefecture say rice [...]

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Japan Inc steps up shift overseas as yen stays high

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s big manufacturers led by Panasonic Corp and Nissan Motor Co Ltd are speeding up their shift overseas, in a sign corporate Japan sees the strong yen as a long-term handicap rather than a temporary blip.
A sluggish home market and energy shortages following the widespread nuclear power shutdown sparked by [...]

Read More » No commentNovember 19, 2011