Pak polls show people’s commitment to democracy: EU
Islamabad: The unprecedented turnout in Pakistan’s general election reflected the people’s commitment to democratic rule, despite an “unbalanced” playing field and “distorted” election process, an EU mission observing the landmark event said on Monday. “Election day showed the commitment of the people of Pakistan to democratic governance by overcoming militant violence. We saw a competitive process, with twice as many candidates as there were in 2008,” said Michael Gahler, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission. He…
Miracle survivor of Bangladesh shuns garment industry
Savar: Three days after her miraculous rescue from the rubbles of the collapsed eight-storey building here, the 19-year-old Bangladeshi girl Monday declared that she “will never again work in a garment factory”. Reshma Begum, who was rescued 17 days after the disaster struck Rana Plaza, which housed five garment factories, said she was forced to…
Pak polls: PPP accepts defeat but decries militants’ shadow over polls
Islamabad: The Pakistan People’s Party today accepted defeat in the landmark general elections but said it had “serious reservations” about the fairness of the polls as it had been denied a level playing field by militant groups and “gerrymandering” in some constituencies. “The Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians accepts the verdict of the people as expressed by them through the May 11 vote,” senior leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim said in a brief statement. Fahim said the denial of a level playing field to the…
China’s Quake Recovery Efforts Facing Challenges
YINGXIU, CHINA — China has spent billions of dollars rebuilding quake-struck cities and towns in southern Sichuan province following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Many of the worst-hit areas now have quake museums, and one key focus of recovery by local officials has been to focus on earthquake tourism. But the recovery model is not always sustainable, and rebuilding after so much destruction and loss of life remains a big challenge. More than half of the…
Pakistan’s Sharif seeks to ease mistrust with India
Nawaz Sharif, poised to become prime minister for a third time after a decisive victory in Pakistan’s election, said on Monday the…
Myanmar says president to make official US visit
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar state television announced Monday that reformist President Thein Sein will make a state visit to the United States in the near future, the first by a Myanmar head of state in almost 47 years and a sign of warming ties. The visit comes at the invitation of President Barack Obama, said the brief announcement, which gave no exact date. The last Myanmar leader to visit the White House was the late dictator Ne Win in 1966. The United States has been a…
Top automakers building deadly cars in Brazil
By Bradley Brooks, Associated Press Posted: 05/13/2013 07:59:18 AM PDT Updated: 05/13/2013 08:58:03 AM PDT Ford Ka cars are assembled in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil on March 6, 2008. The Ford Ka hatchback sold in Europe scored four stars when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2008; its Latin American version scored one star. (AP…
Pakistan election: Nawaz Sharif and the challenges he inherits
It was impossible to keep count of the peacocks that stepped across the lawns at the home of Nawaz Sharif. Impossible too, to keep count of the number of workers responsible for the impeccable state of the grounds. The billionaire industrialist has never tried to hide the trappings that underscore the extent to which he and his family have done so well out of life. But as the man set to become Pakistan’s prime minister for the third time gave his first public comments since Saturday’s polls, it remains unclear whether he may have changed in other ways. When Mr Sharif was ousted in a 1999 coup, many Pakistanis celebrated in the streets and even individuals such as Imran Khan applauded the…
Incumbent NTB governor won election: Pollsters
Exercise the right. Incumbent West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Zainul Majdi (center) votes at polling station TPS I Pusaka in Pejanggik subdistrict, Mataram, NTB, on Monday. Two quick counts have placed Zainul comfortably ahead of his rivals in the race, clearing the way for him to win re-election on a single ballot. (JP/Panca Nugraha) Incumbent West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Zainul Majdi is in the lead according to quick counts released by two pollsters, as…
Japanese Yields Surge
By ELEANOR WARNOCK TOKYO—Japanese government-bond prices tumbled across the board for a second straight session Monday, bucking the central bank’s aim of using huge purchases of bonds to lower interest rates and spur investment. Monday’s drop in JGB prices sent the 10-year yield up 0.105 percentage point in intraday trading to as much as 0.8%, the highest since February, two months before the Bank of Japan introduced its new easing program. The 10-year yield ended at 0.790%, up 0.095 percentage point on the day. The catalyst for the price declines,…
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