By Amie Ferris-Rotman KABUL | Thu May 24, 2012 3:56am EDT KABUL (Reuters) - With most foreign combat troops set to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, Iran is using the media in the war-ravaged nation to gain influence, a worrying issue for Washington. Nearly a third of Afghanistan's media is backed by Iran, either financially or through providing content, Afghan officials and media groups say."What Iran wants, what they are striving at, is a power base in Afghanistan that can counter American influence," said a senior government official, who like others for this report, spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity."They are without a doubt doing this through supporting and funding our media."Iran spends $100 million a year in Afghanistan, much of it on the ... Continue reading →

BEIJING -- An American student has shot to Internet fame in China after buying a packet of French fries for a homeless woman in Nanjing. Photos of her enjoying the food with the student -- a Southern California native named Jason Loose, who is now endearingly known as “American French Fry Brother” by many Chinese Internet users -- have been forwarded hundreds of thousands of times on Sina Weibo, China’s popular micro-blogging service. The images have set off a new round of soul-searching in China since they were posted Saturday. Many Chinese citizens believe that their country’s blind pursuit of wealth has created a moral vacuum, causing feelings of indifference toward the suffering of strangers. Loose, who has been studying at Nanjing University for nine ... Continue reading →

File this in the category of 'they do things differently in China.' For those curious about the Chinese "Rent a White Guy" phenomenon, whereby a Chinese company will employ a foreigner part-time to sit near the front of an office or to join in on meetings because it apparently adds a level of sophistication, here's how they get hired. Continue reading →

Ajde klinci ne kakajte. Prvo se treba upoznati sa bogatom Rambovom karijerom i obrascem kojega obradjuje godinama. Covjek koji je prvi poceo na balkanu sprdati instant muziku, prvi uveo termin "turbo folk" te napravio gro pjesama gdje ukazuje na cobanski mentalitet, mediokritete i povrsnost i ispraznost koje vladaju na ovim prostorima...Dakle, "hocu internet" generacijo, koja je prvu pjesmu u zivotu cula na you tubeu ja bi na vasem mjestu uzeo satove iz glazbene retrospektive - sjedite - 1. ElrondsGate 1 hour ago 28 Continue reading →

NEW YORK | Wed May 23, 2012 1:06pm EDT NEW YORK May 23 (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut its sovereign credit rating on Tunisia to junk with a two-notch downgrade to BB, citing weaker-than-expected economic, fiscal and external debt indicators despite overall political stability. The rating outlook for Tunisia is now considered stable, S&P said in a statement.The Arab Spring protests that erupted in Tunisia in January 2011 and led to the overthrow of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali have resulted in a stable political environment, the S&P said.S&P said, however, it does "not believe that Tunisia's transitional government - in office since December 2011 - will be able to take proactive corrective measures against a weakening economic and financial backdrop that would ... Continue reading →

Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:15pm EDT (Recasts, updates prices, adds quote) NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters) - The dollar slipped against the euro on Friday on tame inflation data, but rallied to a four-and-a-half-year high against the yen after the Bank of Japan indicated it was in no hurry to raise interest rates. The greenback has reached fresh highs against the yen for the last three days and is on pace for its biggest weekly gain this year. The euro was up 0.5 percent from late Thursday to $1.3381 EUR= following reports showing core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, rose in May at the slowest pace since March 2006, factory output slowed and consumer confidence dropped more sharply than expected. In intraday trading ... Continue reading →

LONDON | Tue May 22, 2012 9:09pm BST LONDON May 22 (Reuters) - China faces "invisible impediments" to investing in some parts of Europe, with Europeans nervous about allowing it to move into sectors such as nuclear power, a senior official at China's sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday. "European companies should treat Chinese companies fairly and equitably - we still feel some invisible impediments to our investments in some of the countries in Europe," Jin Liqun, chairman of the board of supervisors of China Investment Corp (CIC), which manages assets totalling more than $400 billion, told a seminar. European countries were reluctant to allow investments in sectors such as nuclear power because of concerns about national security, Jin added. "China will be developing nuclear ... Continue reading →