2003.10.03

Japan-Burma (Kyodo)   Prime Minister Koizumi is going to put a bit more pressure on the military junta controlling Burma for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The ultimate card is a threat to Rangoon that Japan will follow the United States in imposing an economic embargo, but that is not expected to actually happen. The Japanese government has been wishy-washy in the past about applying pressure on the junta but Koizumi has taken a harder line than previous premiers. 2003.10.03

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South Korea launches Hynix probe. [The Register] Who was responsible for its losses? 2003.10.03

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North Korea Escalates Nuclear Standoff (AP). North Korea escalated its nuclear standoff with the United States by declaring Friday that it has solved "all the technological matters" involved in using plutonium extracted from nuclear fuel rods to build atomic bombs. [Yahoo! News - World] 2003.10.03

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Juki Net Hacked (Mainichi) Cabinet minister says deliberate hacking of Juki Net by Nagano Prefecture no big deal. 2003.10.03

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Moderate Earthquake Shakes Western Taiwan (AP). A moderate earthquake shook western Taiwan on Friday, the Central Weather Bureau said, but no damage or injuries were reported. [Yahoo! News - World] 2003.10.03

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Japan-DRPK Ships UPDATED Authorities on Okinawa are preventing the 1,500-ton Rungrado from leaving port. The North Korean freighter was set to depart Nakagusuku Bay on Oct. 1. An inspection by a regional bureau of the Cabinet Office has found "defects" during an inspection.   2003.10.03

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DPRK-Nukes (VOA)   Despite Pyongyang's  boast, U.S. State Department says it has no evidence North Koreans are making nuclear weapons. 2003.10.03

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M&A (BBC)   Japanese M&A activity on the rise, says new report. 2003.10.03

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Japan-Markets UPDATED   Nikkei closes up more than 115 points. Dollar around 110.80 yen. 2003.10.03

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Japan vs. Loral (Bloomberg)   Japan says Loral's bankruptcy no excuse for not building it a satellite the U.S. company promised. 2003.10.03

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Ig Noble Prize-Kanazawa Univ. Professor   Harvard University has awarded its  2003 Ig Nobel prize in chemistry to Professor Yukio Hirose of Kanazawa University, for his chemical investigation of a bronze statue, in the city of Kanazawa, that fails to attract pigeons. Hirose joins and esteemed and not so elite group of winners. 2003.10.03

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Japan-DPRK Ships Breaking News A North Korean has been prevented from leaving port in Okinawa due to "defects." Will be updated. 2003.10.03

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America bets its bottom dollar. [Guardian Unlimited] The US has talked down its currency to take on the Far East, but British investors are suffering. 2003.10.03

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Aircraft Carrier: Guam vs. Hawaii (Stars & Stripes)   Latest developments regarding the home base for the new carrier that will replace the Kitty Hawk after it is decommissioned. 2003.10.03

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Japan-Iraq   Japanese government denies it is sending advance SDF team to Iraq in December as reported by some media. 2003.10.03

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Expert hacks into registry network [The Japan Times] And more on this from Mainichi. 2003.10.03

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