TEHRAN – Police clashed with supporters of Iran’s opposition  leader Mirhossein Mousavi in Tehran yesterday when a rally  marking the 30th anniversary of the storming of the U.S. embassy  turned violent.

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KABUL – Technocrats and some existing ministers will be  appointed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s new government, a  spokesman said yesterday, but his main rival branded his  re-election illegal and ruled out taking any part.

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BEIJING – With its external surplus melting like a snowman  in the sun, China is likely to give short shrift to any attempts  to blame it for the woes of the world economy when finance  ministers meet in Scotland at the end of the week.

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WASHINGTON/BEIJING – Although U.S. President Barack Obama  has never set foot there, China cast a long shadow in the  Pacific region where he grew up.