North Korea celebrated its 62nd anniversary Thursday with odes to supreme leader Kim Jong Il, amid uncertainty over whether a rare political meeting believed aimed at promoting his son as successor had begun. State media had reported Monday that Workers’ Party delegates were gathering in Pyongyang to elect new party leaders in what would be North Korea’s first major political conference in 30 years. By Thursday morning, however, there was still no word on whether the meeting — slated to take place in “early September” — was taking place.

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Dynasty speculation on North Korea founding day

Most Asian stock markets advanced Thursday after worries about Europe’s financial health eased, sending Wall Street higher. News that Portugal managed to raise E1.04 billion ($1.3 billion) in a debt auction Wednesday that drew strong investor interest helped ease jitters about the European economy

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Asian shares rise as Europe worries ease

A Bangkok Post article has suggested internet giant Google is set to establish an office in Thailand. From the piece: A source, who asked not to to be named, disclosed that Google is also preparing to set up an office in Thailand. Google has given priority to Thailand since it is the first country in Southeast Asia to launch a local version of Google Maps

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Is Google opening an office in Thailand?

In a landmark ruling Wednesday, an Indian court said Vodafone Group Plc is liable for an estimated $2.6 billion in taxes for its 2007 acquisition of one of India’s largest mobile phone companies. The decision sets a precedent that could impact hundreds of foreign transactions and have a chilling effect on foreign investment, tax experts say. “We will very seriously consider an appeal,” a Vodafone executive said Wednesday after the verdict

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Indian court upholds big tax bill against Vodafone

Saudi Arabia downgraded its diplomatic relations with Thailand in 1990 after the murder of four Saudi diplomats, the murder of a Saudi businessman, and the theft of jewelery from the Saudi royal family (and in particular because of the later return of fake jewelry to the Saudis). Earlier this year, there finally seemd progress in one of the cases, namely the murder of a Saudi businessman, when five police officers were indicated, including Lt Gen Somkid Boonthanom

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Thai police promote officer indicted over killing of Saudi businessman

There’s a very interesting crosswalk, created by a Korean designer and apparently installed somewhere in Seoul, which is meant to make things safer for pedestrians (in part by expanding the pedestrian areas). You can check it out at this blog , and please report your experience if you’ve been in it

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Anybody live near this crosswalk?

Pakistan will soon bring terrorism charges against three men alleged to have helped the failed Times Square bomber meet up with militant leaders close to the Afghan border and sent him money to carry out the attack, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

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Pakistan to charge 3 over failed Times Square bomb

Cambodia’s U.N.-backed genocide tribunal expects to begin its second trial of former leaders of the Khmer Rouge before the middle of next year. But Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday that the court has set no exact date to try Nuon Chea, the group’s ideologist; former head of state Khieu Samphan; former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary; and his wife Ieng Thirith, ex-minister for social affairs.

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Next Khmer Rouge trial expected by mid-2011

Sri Lanka’s Parliament voted to eliminate term limits for the president Wednesday, a move critics say could lead to dictatorship. The amendment also will tighten President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hold on power by giving him total control over the judiciary, police and the civil service. The main opposition group, the United National Party, boycotted the vote and burned an effigy of Rajapaksa at a protest in the capital.

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Sri Lanka removes term limits for presidency

Police have arrested two suspects in the bombing of a bakery popular with foreigners in western India that killed 10 people earlier this year, an officer said Wednesday. One of the two Indians arrested this week has suspected links to a banned Pakistan-based Islamist rebel group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, senior police officer Rakesh Maria told reporters

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Police arrest 2 suspects in Indian bakery blast

Details of how a powerful political clan in Southern Philippines planned the gruesome massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, are now slowly coming out in the open as trial of the accused finally began Wednesday in Metro Manila. Government prosecutors presented its first witness, Lakmudian Saliao, who told the court how Andal Ampatuan Sr. presided over a meeting with his sons, daughters, in laws and close relatives to plan the murder of their political opponent over dinner days before the November 23 massacre.

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Ampatuan massacre: Plotting murder over dinner

Angelina Jolie on Wednesday condemned a Florida church’s threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The 35-year-old actress spoke out against the proposed burning during a trip to Pakistan to raise awareness about the floods that have devastated the largely Muslim country over the last six weeks

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Angelina Jolie condemns planned Quran burning

AP : Panicked teachers in Thailand’s restive south stayed home from school Wednesday after two teachers were killed in broad daylight amid threats from suspected Muslim insurgents that 20 would die. … On Tuesday, a husband and wife, both Buddhist and primary school teachers at a public school, were riding to a morning market on a motorcycle before school started when they were shot and killed in a barrage of bullets fired from a suspected insurgent on the back seat of a passing motorbike, police said.

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Teachers under fire in the insurgency in southern Thailand

The Labor Party is meeting Canberra today to decide on the make up of its new ministry. It is understood the new ministers will be formally announced next week, however, The ShadowLands has obtained this exclusive photograph of three new members promoted to Cabinet.

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Labor’s new Cabinet: A ShadowLands exclusive

With four terrorist attacks in a week, the ongoing flood tragedy, political violence in Karachi, spot-fixing scandals in cricket, and unfettered calls for a military-led French Revolution — someone should really tell Altaf Hussain that the French generals ended the French revolution, they did not start it — you might think Pakistan would be incapable of throwing up good news. You would be wrong.

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Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, take a bow

Chandler, who was severely injured by an M79 grenade fired by black shirts on May 19, has a blog post on the injuries he suffered and his recovery. …

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Journalist severely injured in red shirt protests blogs about his recovery

Original article in Korean here . As an American I have to say it seems that either the journalist or the conference participants need to brush up on the American legal system.

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Professor calls for legitimacy for illegal immigrants in South Korea

As I noted a month ago, Iran was doing its best to prevent South Korea from joining an American-led sanctions regime against it. The Iranians failed : South Korea said Wednesday it would penalize a key Iranian bank and put nearly all financial transactions with Iran under government supervision as it announced a package of sanctions to join a U.S.-led campaign to censure Tehran over its suspected nuclear program…

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SKorea resolves Iran sanctions dilemma, Washington happy

Government forces in Indian Kashmir fired at hundreds of people protesting New Delhi’s rule over the Himalayan region, killing one person and wounding at least five others Tuesday as weeks of civil unrest continued unabated. Troops fired at protesters on a highway near Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, when they began a march against Indian rule in defiance of a strict curfew, a police officer said

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Protests continue against Indian rule in Kashmir

China’s military launched major air defense exercises Tuesday, highlighting rising capabilities that are seen as tipping the balance of power in east Asia. The drills involve more than 10,000 service members, including those from naval and army aviation units and land-based air defense forces, according to the official China News Service.

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China military launches major air exercises