China Gropes for a Response to North Korea’s Nuke Moves

In the summer of 2006, in the immediate aftermath of North Korea’s unexpected long-range missile launch, the Chinese government quietly sent a senior envoy, former foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan, to Pyongyang to express Beijing’s displeasure. Tang cooled his heels for a couple of days, before finally meeting — briefly, diplomatic sources have said — with leader Kim Jong Il. Just three months later, in October 2006, North Korea again defied the world and tested a nuclear bomb for the first time

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Amnesty: Economic troubles heighten rights abuses

Global economic troubles are fueling a human-rights crisis, Amnesty International warned as it released its "Report 2009: State of the World’s Human Rights" on Thursday. “The economic downturn has aggravated abuses, distracted attention from them and created new problems,” Amnesty Secretary General Irene Khan said in a news release. “In the name of security, human rights were trampled on

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GM China in high gear as parent company rides toward bankruptcy

As General Motors heads toward insolvency, the company that was once the biggest on the planet is still riding high in the world’s most populous country. As the storied American company prepares to financially dismantle its operations between good and poor performing assets, GM China is becoming the crown jewel in the company’s operations.

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Commentary: North Korea blast is a test for U.S.

Reports of North Korea conducting a second nuclear test Monday have caused predictable alarm bells to ring in Washington, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and around the world. (CNN) — Reports of North Korea conducting a second nuclear test Monday have caused predictable alarm bells to ring in Washington, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and around the world.

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Roh’s death still tops ‘most read’ lists in South Korea

North Korea’s largest-ever nuclear test had little impact on a South Korean people fraught with sorrow and recrimination following the suicide of their former president, according to media and bloggers here on Tuesday. South Koreans were puzzled by the timing of the Monday morning blast, which came only hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sent his condolences for the death of Roh Moo-Hyun.

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Chinese underground churches expose rift

Unregistered churches are attracting millions of worshippers in China exposing an enduring rift between the government and the Vatican. Those who have fled tell of the whole valley being turned into a battlefield as citizens run away, many of them with no shoes and some elderly. They fall ill from sun and heat exposure — particularly infants and those already weak and sick — as they flee.

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Obama: North Korean nuclear test ‘a grave threat’

President Obama castigated the North Korean government Monday for conducting a second nuclear bomb test in defiance of multiple international warnings. North Korea’s actions “pose a grave threat to the peace and stability of the world,” Obama said at the White House.

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