TOKYO, July 23 Kyodo - The Cabinet Office on Tuesday downgraded its projection for real economic growth in fiscal 2008 from 2.0 percent as of January to 1.3 percent amid worsening business conditi

GENEVA, July 22 Kyodo - Japanese farm minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi met with Japanese politicians Tuesday in Geneva and explained that members of the World Trade Organization are willing to conclu

SINGAPORE, July 22 Kyodo - Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan on Tuesday had an ''extremely short but very meaningful exchange of views'' incl

SINGAPORE, July 22 Kyodo - ASEAN foreign ministers decided Tuesday not to immediately set up a proposed ''contact group'' to mediate a tense border standoff between Thailand and Cambodia, after Tha

SINGAPORE, July 22 Kyodo - Nuclear negotiators involved in talks on denuclearizing North Korea held a series of meetings in Singapore on Tuesday, laying the groundwork for the first ministerial mee

BEIJING, July 22 Kyodo - Police say initial investigations have uncovered no evidence linking the two bus bombings in Kunming this week with terrorist groups or attempts to disrupt the Beijing Olym

TOKYO, July 22 Kyodo - The Tokyo Stock Exchange said Tuesday a fresh system glitch had caused a temporary halt in trading of Topix index futures as well as bonds, the latest blunder in a string of

SINGAPORE, July 22 Kyodo - Japan pledged Tuesday to give an additional $21 million in reconstruction aid to cyclone-hit Myanmar, but Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura also urged in talks wi

GENEVA, July 22 Kyodo - The United States said Tuesday it is ready to limit its farm subsidies to $15 billion a year in an attempt to strike a deal at the long-delayed Doha Round of talks on global

KATHMANDU, July 22 Kyodo - Nepal's special assembly on Monday elected Ram Baran Yadav as the first president of the new republic, which had a king as its head as state until the monarchy was aboli