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BEIJING: China is proposing to raise its monthly individual income
tax levy threshold from the current 1,600 yuan ($217.69) to 2,000
yuan, according to a draft amendment to the law on individual income
tax. The individual income tax threshold increase was believed to
relieve the economic burden of medium- and low-income earners amid
the recent price increase of some goods.
-- Xinhua
WASHINGTON: A shaken US government has recovered
at least some of its faith in President Pervez Musharraf of
Pakistan, believing he still has a chance to promote democracy and
defeat terrorism. Conceding that al-Qaeda has turned its focus from
Afghanistan to Pakistan, US officials argue that pushing for
democracy is the central Asian Muslim nation’s best long-term hope
of keeping extremists at bay. To be sure, top officials say,
Musharraf has reversed course since he imposed emergency rule
November 3, which prompted both a review of US aid to Pakistan and a
broader debate on his status as ally in the war on terror.
-- AFP
BEIJING: Chinese top legislature began to
deliberate its first state-owned assets law, designed to protect the
state-owned assets from being illegally seized and maintain the
country’s basic economic system. The draft state-owned assets law
was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress (NPC) for first deliberation on Sunday. Shi Guangsheng,
vice-chairman of the NPC Financial and Economic Committee, said
reforms to state-owned assets management system and operation of
state-owned enterprises have turned out to be effective, however,
there remain problems.
-- Xinhua
KABUL: Australia is in Afghanistan for the
“long haul,” Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on a surprise visit
Saturday to the country, which is battling an intensifying
insurgency led by Taliban extremists. Rudd held talks with President
Hamid Karzai hours after French President Nicolas Sarkozy also made
an unannounced visit to meet his soldiers with a NATO-led force of
nearly 40 nations helping to fight extremism. Australia has denied
media reports last weekend that it would keep its nearly 900 troops
in Afghanistan longer than the scheduled end of their mission in
August next year, saying no decision had been made yet.
-- AFP
TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
said Sunday his ruling coalition would seek new legislation to
compensate all the victims of dirty blood products contaminated with
hepatitis C. Fukuda came under fire after a settlement package
collapsed last week. Victims criticized him for succumbing to
pressure from bureaucrats. At least 10,000 people are estimated to
have contracted the potentially fatal disease after being given
fibrinogen, which is used to stop bleeding.
-- AFP
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