| Asia Top Stories |
Australia PM shrugs off Obama no-show
(AFP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:55:30 GMT
 AFP - Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Friday shrugged off US President Barack Obama's decision to postpone next week's visit, saying he would be welcome any time.
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India urges US 'leadership' on WTO
(AFP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:49:26 GMT
 AFP - India on Thursday urged the United States to take the lead in resuming global free trade talks after the EU trade chief lashed out at "protectionism" by President Barack Obama's administration.
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U.S. tells China yuan issue is of "real concern"
(Reuters)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:43:18 GMT
 Reuters - The United States kept up pressure on China on Thursday to let its yuan currency climb as Beijing disclosed it was sounding out exporters on whether they could cope with a stronger exchange rate.
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Obama postpones Asia trip to focus on health care
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:32:53 GMT
AP - President Barack Obama has postponed his trip to Asia until June so he can stay in Washington for a possible vote Sunday on his health care overhaul.
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British boy kidnapped in Pakistan returns to UK
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:20:24 GMT
 AP - A 5-year-old British boy who was kidnapped and held in Pakistan for two weeks arrived safely back in Britain on Thursday.
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US man pleads guilty in Mumbai siege, Danish cartoonist plot
(AFP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:16:17 GMT
 AFP - A Chicago man pleaded guilty Thursday to using his Western appearance as a cover while scoping out sites for the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege and plotting to kill a Danish cartoonist.
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British boy arrives home after Pakistan kidnap ordeal
(AFP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:09:25 GMT
 AFP - A five-year-old British boy whose 12-day kidnap ordeal in Pakistan sparked an international police operation to recover a ransom payment in Europe arrived home Thursday.
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Obama scraps Asia-Pacific trip for healthcare push
(Reuters)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:03:34 GMT
Reuters - Bowing to political pressure at home, President Barack Obama on Thursday scrapped his trip to Indonesia and Australia next week to stay in Washington for a final push for a healthcare overhaul.
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Marines walk tightrope to win support in Marjah
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:55:03 GMT
 AP - Crouched on packed earth at a barricaded Marine encampment, the village elders issued their complaint: U.S. troops had killed an innocent 14-year-old boy. Secretly, the Marines didn't believe them. No matter. They apologized, called the death a tragedy and promised to offer a condolence payment to the boy's family.
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UN wildlife body rejects bluefin trade ban
(AFP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:49:14 GMT
 AFP - Lobbied aggressively by Japan, delegates at a UN wildlife trade meeting on Thursday massively rejected a ban on cross-border commerce in Atlantic bluefin tuna, a sushi mainstay.
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Junta frees Myanmar-American, deports him
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:43:05 GMT
AP - A U.S. citizen accused of subversion was released from prison in his native Myanmar and deported Thursday after serving part of a three-year prison sentence.
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Soyuz spacecraft lands safely on Kazakh steppe
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:56:35 GMT
 AP - Astronauts from the United States and Russia landed safely in northern Kazakhstan's chilly steppes on Thursday after spending almost six months on the International Space Station.
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US commander says security bolstered in Kandahar
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:49:48 GMT
 AP - Security and military intelligence operations are being reinforced around Kandahar, the largest city in southern Afghanistan and site of the next phase of the allied military offensive against the Taliban, the American commander for the country said.
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China probes vaccines after child deaths reported
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:39:33 GMT
AP - China's Health Ministry is investigating the safety of inoculations in a northern province after a report that defective vaccines possibly killed four children and seriously sickened dozens.
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Thai PM says he's open to talks with protesters
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:35:47 GMT
 AP - Thailand's prime minister said Thursday the government was ready to hold talks with protesters, who want him to call new elections, but only if they stop throwing blood, blocking government offices and remain peaceful.
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(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:33:54 GMT
AP - NASA says Soyuz spacecraft with US, Russian astronauts has landed safely in Kazakhstan.
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Australian Senate rejects Scientology inquiry call
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:31:04 GMT
AP - Australia's Senate on Thursday overwhelming rejected a call for an inquiry into allegations against the Church of Scientology made by former members who claim to have been abused, harassed or coerced into having abortions.
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Report: North Korean executed over currency reform
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:30:20 GMT
 AP - North Korea executed a former senior official last week as punishment for the country's botched currency reform, a news report said Thursday.
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South China drought worsens, threatening crops
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:46:11 GMT
AP - Parts of southern China are suffering from the worst drought in decades, leaving millions of people with inadequate water and huge areas of farmland too dry to plant, state media reported Thursday.
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Expanding lake threatens thousands in Pakistan
(AP)
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:43:28 GMT
 AP - The water is rising day by day in this remote part of northern Pakistan, and with it, so is the fear among thousands who stand to lose their crops, their homes and maybe even their lives.
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