Asia Edition - Wall Street Journal - Latest News, Breaking Stories, Top Headlines

LATEST HEADLINES

Australia Lawmakers Reject Carbon Cap
Australian lawmakers rejected a government plan to cap the country's greenhouse-gas emissions, in a move that sets the trigger for a possible early election.

Iran Says Detained British Sailors Released
Iran has released five British sailors detained after their racing yacht was stopped in the Persian Gulf after entering Iranian waters last week, the official IRNA news agency said.

Woods Receives Traffic Citation
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Rothstein Charged in Ponzi Scheme
Oil Glut Roils an English Tourist Village
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South Korea Faces Recovery Plateau
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New Orders Help China Lift Output
Climate Scientist Steps Down
Pilot-Fatigue Overhaul Stalls
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Business & Finance

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SEC Steps Up Insider-Trading Probes
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent at least three dozen subpoenas to hedge funds and brokerages in an expanding sweep of potential insider-trading violations, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Gold Run Pushes Barrick to Cash In
Barrick Gold accelerated plans to eliminate hedges against declines in gold prices, jumping to capitalize on months of gains for the precious metal and freeing up the company to develop even more.
- Gold Tops $1,200 as Risk Appetite Returns
Asian Stocks Up as Dubai Worries Fade
Asian stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday as fading worries over Dubai World's debt problems pushed financial stocks up across the region. The Nikkei was up 0.4%.
- MarketWatch: Investors Bet On Asia's Gold Miners
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BOJ Injects Short Term Funds
For the first time in a year, the Bank of Japan injected 1 trillion yen into short-term money markets Wednesday, a day after announcing a loan program aimed at stimulating the economy.
- Earlier: Bank of Japan Takes Monetary Easing Steps
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Revised Nan Shan Bid 'Next Week'
Primus Financial and China Strategic Holdings said they will send a revised application to Taiwan regulators "hopefully next week" on the proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of AIG's Taiwan life insurance unit.
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GM's Chairman Seizes the Wheel
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Morgan Stanley Draws CICC Shortlist
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U.A.E. Leaders Move to Ease Dubai Worries
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A Cadbury Family Member Crusades Against Kraft
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Hedge-Fund Veterans Start New Fund

U.S.

Obama Bets Big on Troop Surge
Obama announced a surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and plans to begin pulling them out in 18 months -- a potentially high-risk political and military strategy.
Amendments Court Women, Seniors
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Manufacturing Grows, but More Slowly
U.S. Influence Fades in Latin America

Technology

E-Readers May Hold More Surprises
A host of gadgets like Barnes & Noble's Nook and new versions of Amazon's Kindle is being unveiled. But the technology could soon become obsolete.
- The News Hub: Buying an E-Reader
Squeezing Web Sites Onto Cellphones
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Shanda Games Profits Climb
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Google to Let Publishers Set Limits
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Nokia Sues LCD Makers

Real Estate

Foes and Friends in Trump Bankruptcy
Real-estate mogul Donald Trump and Texas banker Andrew Beal were once united and now are divided in a bankruptcy case. Is Mr. Beal bluffing? Will Mr. Trump fold?
London Tops Office-Rental Rates
Dubai World Holds Key to Revival

Life & Style

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Hong Kong Becomes Asian Wine Hub
Hong Kong is ransforming into a hub for wine trading and distribution because of surging demand for quality wine from China's newly rich, combined with the recent elimination of wine duties in this bastion of free trade.
- Video: Hong Kong's Wine Sellers
Snoop Dogg's Advice to Entrepreneurs
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Susan Boyle's Album Soars

Editors' Picks

China

Little Progress in China-EU Talks
Chinese and EU leaders appeared to bridge few differences over currency, climate and market access in a round of high-level talks.
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Geely Lines Up Volvo Bid Loans
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PCD Seeks up to $445 Million in IPO

India

Auto Sales Soar in India
Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor India, Hero Honda Motors and TVS Motor posted higher sales for November, helped by a low sales base in the year-earlier period when demand for new vehicles was stifled by a slowdown in the Indian economy.
India Body Files 7 Cases in Satyam Fraud
Toyota, Skoda to Up Car Prices in India

Markets

Fed Debates New Role: Bubble Fighter
As markets around the world are booming again, Fed officials and central bank researchers are looking for ways to keep housing and credit bubbles from happening in the first place.
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AIG Moves Ahead With AIA, Alico Sales
Stocks Rise as Dubai Fears Ebb

Tech

FCC Seeks Revamp of Phone Subsidy
The FCC's chairman said he wants to overhaul a $7 billion federal phone-subsidy program and reallocate more airwaves to wireless carriers as part of a strategy to improve U.S. broadband Internet availability.
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Italy Asks EU to Review News Corp. TV Plans
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Apple, Psystar Reach Partial Deal

World

Zuma Expands HIV Treatment
The South African president pledged to expand treatment to all HIV-positive babies and other at-risk individuals, the latest step in his effort to reverse Mbeki's disastrous HIV/AIDS policies.
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ECB to Pull Back Some Stimulus Aid
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North Korea Reissues Won

U.S.

White House, CBC Standoff Continues
The standoff between the White House and the Congressional Black Caucus dragged on, continuing to cloud the prospects of a vote to overhaul supervision of banks.
U.S.'s Role Expands in Boardroom
Recount Is Likely for Atlanta Race

Life & Style

Experiences Just For You
A selection of memorable experiences to enjoy and to share, from a scuba-diving tour of the Great Wall of China to a one-on-one pastry class with Jean-Paul Hévin.
Charity Begins at Work
Thoroughly Modern Jade

Opinion

A Burma Policy for India
Prime Minister Singh can support democracy and engage the regime, too.
Pervez Musharraf: The Afghan-Pakistan Solution
Christina Romer: Putting Americans Back to Work

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Net Collision
In today's Photo Journal, an NHL goaltender gets knocked into the net, a daughter mourns her British soldier dad, World AIDS Day and more.
Good Data and Flawed Conclusions
In a statistical anomaly dubbed Simpson's Paradox, aggregated numbers obscure trends in the job market, medicine and baseball.
- Graphic: Historical Unemployment
Flip Comes to TV
FlipShare TV is a device that allows you to watch new videos from family and friends hundreds of miles away, but it needs to be more intuitive, writes Katherine Boehret.
Where Does Notre Dame Go From Here?
Will Golden Domers avoid another expensive mistake? Plus: New Orleans football - a love affair; Iverson talks comeback in Philly; and more.
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Comfort in China's Bank Regulation
A capital-adequacy warning to lenders is a welcome check on unbridled credit growth.
- Video: Chinese Regulators Crack the Whip
Is Life Insurance a Rip Off?
P. Nandagopal, CEO of IndiaFirst Life Insurance Co., on when coverage makes sense and what it really costs.
Marking World AIDS Day
More than 30 million people world-wide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to some estimates. People around the world honored them on World AIDS Day.
The Brain Boomerang
By all means, go home, says S. Mitra Kalita. And then come back.