Renault seeks 'espionage' probe

Renault seeks 'espionage' probe


Renault seeks 'espionage' probe

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:51 PM PST

Renault asks French authorities to investigate the suspected industrial espionage at the carmaker.


Brazil floods: 'Fear and devastation'

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:38 AM PST

Residents of one of the towns worst affected by the devastating floods in south-eastern Brazil describe the scenes of destruction in their city.


Clinton pushes for economic and political reforms in tour of Middle East

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:05 PM PST

DOHA, QATAR - With a campaign-style swing through the Middle East, Hillary Rodham Clinton reached out to ordinary Arabs as well as their leaders this week to push for economic and political reforms, highlighting themes that aides say are close to her heart as secretary of state, but also fraught...



Iran hangs five convicted drug smugglers

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:51 PM PST

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran hanged on Thursday five people convicted of smuggling drugs, the official IRNA news agency reported.


Gujarat State Is Indian Test Case

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:34 PM PST

India's Gujarat state has transformed itself into an economic and export engine by presenting an alternative to the widespread corruption that has stymied big projects elsewhere in the country, turning it into a springboard for the national political ambitions of its controversial leader.


'Huge financial and emotional blow'

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:45 PM PST

The Australian city of Brisbane has experienced widespread flooding, although the peak level is a metre lower than feared, officials say.


After the floods

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:58 AM PST

Once water recedes, where does the clean-up begin?


Medvedev acknowledges graft progress scant, seeks law

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:27 PM PST

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev acknowledged on Thursday he has made little headway in tackling corruption and called for a new law to make it more difficult to set up shell companies to pay bribes by sending funds abroad.


Czechs Grant Asylum to Ukraine's Former Economy Minister

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:57 AM PST

A former Ukrainian economy minister was granted political asylum by the Czech Republic, a sign of increasing international disquiet over the Ukrainian government's investigations of leading opposition figures.


Locke Calls for China to Open Its Markets

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:45 AM PST

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke called for China to follow through on its pledges to open up its market to foreign firms, seeking to ensure that next week's state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao leads to lasting results.


After the floods

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:58 AM PST

Once water recedes, where does the clean-up begin?


Tunisia president not to run again

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:58 AM PST

In bid to placate protesters, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali vows to broaden political freedoms and allow freedom of speech.


Dispute Emerges Over Military Damage to Afghan Property

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:06 AM PST

An Afghan presidential commission has determined that military operations in the Kandahar area have caused more than $100 million in damage to homes and farms over the past six months.


'Gulf World Cup' plan criticised

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:31 AM PST

A suggestion that Qatar's neighbours could host some games in the 2022 World Cup is criticised by Iran's coach.


15 flu deaths reported in a week

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:16 PM PST

Fifteen flu-related deaths are reported to the assembly government in the past week.


College’s Policy on Troubled Students Is Under Scrutiny

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:14 PM PST

Some experts say the community college that suspended Jared L. Loughner could have done more to help him.


Russia's crash report stirs Polish politics

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:32 AM PST

WARSAW - The crash last spring of a plane carrying Poland's president and other top officials outside the Russian city of Smolensk unexpectedly drew Poland and Russia closer together. Now, Russia's report on the crash is driving the longtime antagonists apart again - and dividing Polish politici...


Tunisian leader to retire in 2014

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:35 PM PST

Tunisia's president of 23 years says he will not seek a new term in office in 2014, after widespread deadly violence over corruption and poverty.


Chickens that cannot spread bird flu

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:01 AM PST

Chickens which cannot spread bird flu have been created by scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge.


Death Toll Mounts in Brazilian Deluge

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:12 AM PST

At least 291 have died in the floods and landslides, officials said, with many still missing.


Taiwan, China to build first direct undersea cable

Taiwan, China to build first direct undersea cable


Taiwan, China to build first direct undersea cable

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:58 AM PST

TAIPEI, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Five major telecom operators from Taiwan and China signed a contract Thursday to build the first undersea cable directly linking the island and the mainland to meet mounting demand, officials said.

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Philippine leader under fire over Porsche

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:57 AM PST

MANILA, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino said Thursday he had splashed out on a luxury Porsche sportscar, sparking criticism in a country where a third of the population live on less than a dollar a day.

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Japan pays $1mn to innocent man jailed for 17 years

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:42 AM PST

TOKYO, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - A Japanese court on Thursday awarded $1.1 million, the maximum possible compensation, to a 64-year-old man who spent 17 years in jail after being wrongly convicted of a child's murder.

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Food crisis feared due to tight supply

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:41 AM PST

Weather shocks as well as supply and demand uncertainties may trigger another full-blown Asian food crisis this year.

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Taiwan bans government ads disguised as news

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:40 AM PST

TAIPEI, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Taiwan's parliament has barred the government from buying advertisements disguised as news after critics said it was unethical to spend taxpayer money on positive coverage.

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Ship carrying acid overturns in Germany: police

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:39 AM PST

BERLIN, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - A ship carrying 2,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid overturned Thursday in the Rhine river near Sankt Goar, northwest of Mainz, and two members of its crew are missing, river police told AFP.

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Australia steels for disease surge after floods

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:34 AM PST

BRISBANE, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Australian medical officials braced Thursday for rampant disease in the country's swamped northeast, with filthy floodwaters harbouring sewage, dead animals and dangerous debris.

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India's farmer suicides blamed on fertiliser over-use

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:33 AM PST

BHOPAL, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - The agriculture minister of a central Indian state on Thursday blamed a recent spate of farmer suicides on over-use of chemical fertilisers and urged the country to embrace organic production.

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Press freedom bill raises new issues of concern

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:32 AM PST

When a government, especially one in a developing society struggling with institution building and defining the extent of free expression, talks about 'press freedom', it is usually a cause for concern.

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AIG credit ratings cut, outlook stable

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:32 AM PST

NEW YORK, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Ratings agency Moody's has downgraded AIG by one notch, after the cash-strapped US insurance giant promised to undergo by Friday recapitalization measures to repay a government bailout.

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Top Philippine carrier to invest $1bn, hire 2,000

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:30 AM PST

MANILA, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Top Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific said Thursday it would invest a billion dollars in new aircraft and hire 2,000 more staff over four years as it boosts its international operations.

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Cambodia grants bail to Thai lawmaker

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:29 AM PST

PHNOM PENH, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - A Thai ruling party politician who was among seven Thais charged with illegally entering Cambodia has been granted bail along with one other member of the group, their lawyer said Thursday.

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S. Lanka plots relief aid for 950,000 flood victims

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:28 AM PST

COLOMBO, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday gathered emergency food, clothing and bedding for nearly one million people forced out of their homes by flooding over the last week.

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Wild cat once thought extinct spotted in Borneo

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:27 AM PST

One of the world's rarest wild cats, an elusive creature once thought to be extinct, has been spotted in camera traps in Malaysian Borneo for the first time since 2003, researchers said Thursday.

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Work to revamp KTM Komuter ticketing system goes on

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:24 AM PST

Work to revamp the ticketing system at all 56 KTM Komuter stations in the Klang Valley and Negeri Sembilan will proceed amid ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

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S. Korea may charge Google with collecting personal data

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:24 AM PST

SEOUL, Thursday 13 January 2011 (AFP) - South Korean police said Thursday they had asked prosecutors to charge Google with collecting personal data while producing its Street View mapping service, and had handed over supporting evidence.

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Sultan orders suspension of Khir's title: state secretary

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:21 AM PST

The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had ordered the suspension of the "Datuk Seri" title of former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, State Secretary Datuk Mohamed Khusrin Munawi said today.

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Tenang by-election of two Chuas

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:21 AM PST

The Tenang by-election will likely see two prominent politicians from both sides of the political divide wooing the Chinese votes.

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ETP projects to have multi-thronged spin-off effects on economy

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:19 AM PST

The projects to be unveiled under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) are expected to have multi-pronged spin-off effects on the country's economy.

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Govt plans to give PR status to foreign spouse of Malaysians: Muhyiddin

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:18 AM PST

The government plans to accord permanent resident (PR) status to foreign spouses of Malaysian citizens who are abroad, to return to serve Malaysia.

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