Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Pakistani accused by film protesters of blasphemy

Pakistani accused by film protesters of blasphemy

Pakistani accused by film protesters of blasphemy

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 10:06 AM PDT

Pakistani lawyers chant anti-U.S. slogans during a demonstration, near an area that houses the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions in Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. The demonstration in Islamabad followed three days of violent protests against an anti Islam film in Pakistan in which two people were killed. Over two dozen more have been killed in protests in other parts of the Muslim world over the past week, including the U.S. ambassador in Libya. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)Demonstrators angry over an anti-Islam film accused a local businessman in southern Pakistan of blasphemy, forcing the police to open a case and driving him and his family into hiding, following an argument that broke out when he refused to join their protest, officials said Wednesday.

New French cartoons inflame prophet film tensions

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:37 AM PDT

Afghan university students burn a U.S. flag in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept 19, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans, some shouting "Death to America", held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)A French magazine published vulgar caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday, brandishing its right to free speech amid global tensions over a movie insulting to Islam.

US housing figures shore up markets

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:23 AM PDT

An Indonesian woman walks past an electronic stock board at the Jakarta Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after the Bank of Japan became the latest major central bank to announce action to shore up fragile economic growth. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)Strong U.S. housing figures shored up markets Wednesday after an earlier bout of optimism over stimulus measures from the Bank of Japan ran out of steam.

Afghan president urges peace, despite attacks

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:12 AM PDT

Afghan university students burn a U.S. flag in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept 19, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans, some shouting "Death to America", held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)The Afghan president on Wednesday urged his nation to rally behind the push for peace negotiations with insurgents despite persistent violence, evoking the memory of a former leader who was assassinated while trying to broker talks with the Taliban.

Ex-police chief in China scandal sought US asylum

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:42 AM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2008 file photo, then Chonqing city police chief Wang Lijun speaks during a press conference in Chongqing, southwestern China. Wang, the ex-police chief at the center of China's seamy political scandal asked U.S. diplomats for asylum after he covered up a murder for the wife of the Communist Party boss but then grew estranged and feared for his life, the Chinese government said Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. (AP Photo, File) CHINA OUTHours after she poisoned a British businessman, Gu Kailai reached out to a trusted ally: Wang Lijun. Gu was the wife of Bo Xilai, the Communist Party boss in the inland Chinese megalopolis of Chongqing; Wang was Bo's chief of police and longtime collaborator.

Japan gets cold feet on total nuclear phase-out

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:31 AM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2008 file photo, Japan's then Atomic Energy Commission vice chairman Shunichi Tanaka delivers a speech at a meeting celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Energy Agency, at the OECD in Paris. Tanaka, a nuclear physicist and Fukushima native is head of a five-member Nuclear Regulation Authority inaugurated in Japan, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Opposition lawmakers and activists have raised questions about his credentials because he had been executive of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes development of nuclear energy. Tanaka, 67, has helped decontaminate areas around the Fukushima plant contaminated with radiation. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)Japan's Cabinet stopped short of a commitment Wednesday to phase out nuclear power by 2040, backtracking from an advisory panel's recommendation in the face of opposition from pro-nuclear businesses and groups.

Oil's slide continues, with crude below $93

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:29 AM PDT

Oil prices are falling for a third day, as traders realize that a recent run-up to $100 may have been overdone.

Bomb in northwest Pakistan kills 8 civilians

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:17 AM PDT

A bomb targeting a Pakistani military vehicle instead struck a passenger van on Wednesday in a city in the country's northwest, killing at least eight civilians, authorities said.

Film festival opens in movie-crazy North Korea

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:47 AM PDT

FILE - In this file image made out of film "Comrade Kim Goes Flying" released by Another Dimension of An Idea/Koryo Group, Comrade Kim Yong Mi played by Han Jong Sim acknowledges applause from her comrades for her acrobatic performance. An international film festival opens Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012 in the unlikeliest of places: North Korea. This year's festival includes movies from Britain, Germany and elsewhere. But not America. Festivalgoers will get to see two feature films in North Korea but edited overseas: the romantic comedy "Comrade Kim Goes Flying," a joint North Korean-European production, and "Meet in Pyongyang," made in conjunction with a Chinese film studio. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Another Dimension of An Idea/Koryo Group) EDITORIAL USE ONLYAn international film festival opens Thursday in what may seem the unlikeliest of places: North Korea.

Storms dampen hopes for bountiful NKorea harvest

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT

In this Sept. 12, 2012 photo, ears of field corn lay in piles along a roadside during the autumn corn harvest on a farm on the edge of Kaesong, North Korea. It has been a tough year for North Korea's farmers, who grappled with an extended dry spell in the spring, followed by heavy rains from a series of summer storms and typhoon. The U.N. is launching a field mission across North Korea to gauge the state of the food situation. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)First came an extended dry spell in the spring, followed by a summer of flash floods and typhoons.

Singapore PM says will not tolerate corruption

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:23 AM PDT

Singapore's leader has vowed to punish corrupt officials, no matter how senior, following several high-profile cases including three sex-for-favor scandals that have embarrassed a nation widely praised for its integrity.

Nationalism may rise under Japan's next gov't

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2012 file photo, Japan's opposition Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidate Nobuteru Ishihara delivers his policy speech during an official announcement for the race at the party headquarters in Tokyo. The conservative Liberal Democratic Party chooses a leader Sept. 26. The winner may become prime minister if the LDP wins elections that the prime minister has said he will call soon. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)One is a former prime minister known for his nationalistic views. A second is a hawkish former defense chief. And a third is the son of Tokyo's outspoken governor whose proposal to buy and develop a cluster of uninhabited islands claimed by both China and Japan has set off a territorial furor between the two countries.

Beijing demonstrators damage US ambassador's car

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 07:07 PM PDT

Anti-Japan protesters hold portraits of the late Communist leader Mao Zedong, Chinese national flags, and a poster that reads: "Sept. 18, National Humiliation Day," while marching on a street outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. The 81st anniversary of a Japanese invasion brought a fresh wave of anti-Japan demonstrations in China on Tuesday, with thousands of protesters venting anger over the colonial past and a current dispute involving contested islands in the East China Sea. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)A car carrying the U.S. ambassador to China was mildly damaged after becoming the target of boisterous anti-Japan demonstrators who were expressing outrage over a territorial dispute and marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's invasion of China.

Panetta in talks with Chinese leader-in-waiting

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:49 AM PDT

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta met Wednesday with Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping, who just days ago reappeared after a puzzling two-week disappearance.

China cleans up after angry anti-Japan protests

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:46 AM PDT

Chinese paramilitary police march with their shields outside the entrance to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. People across China have engaged in days of furious protests over some East China Sea islands, claimed by Beijing and Tokyo, that Japan purchased last week from a private owner. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)Chinese police cleared roadblocks and some Japanese businesses reopened Wednesday after days of angry protests over Japan's wartime occupation and its recent purchase of islands also claimed by Beijing.

Pakistan: Bomb in northwest kills 8 civilians

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:46 AM PDT

A bomb targeting a Pakistani military vehicle instead struck a passenger van on Wednesday in a city in the country's northwest, killing at least eight civilians, a police official said.

Indian government works to shore up coalition

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:54 AM PDT

Trinamool Congress party (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee gestures during a press conference in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. TMC, a key ally of India's ruling coalition withdrew its support from the government Tuesday to protest recent economic reforms, including a move to open the country's huge retail sector. Ministers from the party will resign from India's Cabinet on Friday, Banerjee told reporters. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)India's ruling Congress party worked to shore up its governing coalition Wednesday after a crucial ally withdrew its support in protest over a raft of new economic reforms that included a rise in fuel prices and lifting restrictions on foreign retailers.

French cartoons inflame prophet film tensions

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:42 AM PDT

Afghan university students burn a U.S. flag in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept 19, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans, some shouting "Death to America", held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)A French magazine published vulgar caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday, inflaming global tensions over a movie insulting to Islam and prompting France to step up security at embassies.

Myanmar investment commission reinvents itself

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:33 AM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2012 file photo, a man walks past a Pepsi advertisement in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. PepsiCo Inc. will start selling its drinks in Myanmar, following the U.S. government's decision to suspend investment sanctions on the country for its democratic reforms. Myanmar's new foreign investment law envisions broad powers for the country's already over-taxed investment commission, restricts foreign investment in 11 poorly defined areas and requires local hiring, according to a copy of the widely misunderstood law obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win, File)Once feared for its obstructionism, the Myanmar Investment Commission has put on a fresh, investor-friendly face, and its bureaucrats are scrambling to deal with a deluge of interest even as a proposed investment law creates considerable uncertainty about how foreign companies will be treated in this long-closed Southeast Asian nation.

Oil slips below $95 despite BOJ monetary easing

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:18 AM PDT

Oil reversed early gains and dropped below $95 a barrel on Wednesday, the third straight day of falls despite fresh moves by Japan's central bank easing monetary policy.

Panetta: New Asia focus not aimed to contain China

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:12 AM PDT

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addresses cadets at the Engineering Academy of PLA Armored Forces, in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool)Top Chinese leaders have a better understanding of America's new focus on the Asia-Pacific region, but they are concerned that there is too much emphasis on China's military build-up rather than economic or diplomatic efforts, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

Afghan leader urges push for peace amid attacks

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:05 AM PDT

Afghan university students burn a U.S. flag in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept 19, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans, some shouting "Death to America", held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)The Afghan president on Wednesday urged his nation to rally behind the push for peace despite persistent violence, evoking the memory of a former leader who was assassinated while trying to broker negotiations with the Taliban.

Markets unmoved by Bank of Japan easing

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 04:29 AM PDT

An Indonesian woman walks past an electronic stock board at the Jakarta Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after the Bank of Japan became the latest major central bank to announce action to shore up fragile economic growth. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)Japan's main stock market hit a four-month high Wednesday after the country's central bank eased monetary policy to shore up fragile economic growth, but the positive momentum ground to a halt in Europe.

Afghan leader urges peace day after suicide blast

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:41 AM PDT

Afghan university students burn a U.S. flag in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept 19, 2012. Hundreds of Afghans, some shouting "Death to America", held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)The Afghan president on Wednesday urged his nation to rally behind the push for peace despite persistent violence, evoking the memory of a former leader who was assassinated while trying to broker negotiations with the Taliban.

China's next leader appears healthy in US meeting

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:08 AM PDT

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, shakes hands with China's Vice President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Panetta met Wednesday with Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi, who just days ago reappeared after a puzzling two-week disappearance. (AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool)China's future leader appeared energetic Wednesday in a meeting with the U.S. defense secretary, his first appearance with a foreign dignitary since dropping from public view and raising a flurry of questions about his health and turbulence in the succession process.
Posted by Harshad at 11:38 AM

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