Japan’s former finance minister found dead

October 3rd, 2009 Former Japanese finance minister found deadTOKYO — A former Japanese finance minister who stepped down after appearing to be drunk at an overseas news conference was found dead in his home Sunday, police said, ruling out foul play. Shoichi Nakagawa was lying face down in bed when his wife found him in their Tokyo home, a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said on condition of anonymity due to police policy.

September 18th, 2009 Obama to meet Japan's new prime minister at UNWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will meet Japan's new leader for the first time at the United Nations next week. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said that Obama will meet Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday.

September 16th, 2009 Russia, BONY to sign settlementMOSCOW — Russia's Finance Minister says terms have been reached for an out-of-court settlement of a $22.5 billion Russian government lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon and that the agreement is to be signed soon. The two-year-long case stems from a decade-old scandal in which a bank vice president and her husband were convicted of illegally wiring $7.5 billion of Russian money into accounts at the bank.

September 16th, 2009 Japan's new PM wants to build trust with ObamaTOKYO — Japan's new prime minister says he wants to build a relationship of trust with President Barack Obama, but has no intention to back down on plans to push for a review of the U.S. military presence here.

September 16th, 2009 Profiles of key members in new Japan CabinetThe key members of Japan's new Cabinet appointed by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama: NAOTO KAN: Minister of National Strategic Bureau. A former student activist and patent attorney-turned lawmaker, Kan, 62, is best known for his highly applauded achievement as health minister in 1996 in revealing a government cover up of HIV-tainted blood products that caused thousands of hemophilia patients to contract AIDS.

September 15th, 2009 Japan parliament convenes to elect prime ministerTOKYO — Japan's parliament has convened to formally select former opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama as prime minister, following his party's landslide election victory last month. Parliament convened Wednesday in a special session for the vote.

August 31st, 2009 Opposition scrambles to create transition teamTOKYO — Japan's newly empowered leader Yukio Hatoyama rushed Monday to select Cabinet ministers and start making good on promises to revive the world's second-largest economy after his party's historic trouncing of the ruling conservatives. Hatoyama said in a victory speech late Sunday that he would focus on making a quick and smooth transition, and that his priority was choosing the nation's next finance minister.

July 29th, 2009 Figure in NJ corruption scandal found dead at homeJERSEY CITY, N.J. — A political consultant who was one of 44 people arrested last week in New Jersey's massive political corruption scandal has been found dead in his apartment.

July 1st, 2009 Managua mayor, ex-boxing champ, found deadMANAGUA, Nicaragua — Managua Mayor Alexis Arguello, a three-time world boxing champion, has been found dead. Presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo confirms the death.

May 13th, 2009 Japan lower house OKs record extra budgetTOKYO — Japan's lower house of parliament approved a record extra budget of nearly 15 trillion yen ($156 billion) Wednesday to finance stimulus measures aimed at lifting the world's second-largest economy out of recession. The extra budget will finance projects to support the unemployed and small businesses, as well as environmental measures.

May 12th, 2009 CHENNAI - Former minister P.T. Saraswathy, 75, was found dead at her residence Tuesday, police said.

May 10th, 2009 SAfrica's new president appoints CabinetPRETORIA, South Africa — South Africa's new President Jacob Zuma has moved the respected finance minister to a powerful central planning post. In other Cabinet appointments announced Sunday, a day after he was sworn in as president, Zuma moved Pravin Gordhan from the tax department to finance minister.

April 22nd, 2009 Japan's exports dive 46 percent in MarchTOKYO — Japan's exports continued to slump in March, hit by declining shipments of autos and electronics, underlining a grim outlook for the world's second-largest economy as it struggles to climb out of recession. Japan also recorded its first annual trade deficit in 28 years for the 12 months through March, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday, as the global economic crisis sank demand for the nation's mainstay exports.

March 30th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Prabunath Singh, former Bihar state minister, was found dead Monday under mysterious circumstances in a train in Uttar Pradesh, railway officials said. 'Singh was found dead in the Vaishali Express at the Basti railway station in Uttar Pradesh,' Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector S.K.

February 16th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa who has been under severe criticism for slurring at a press conference in Italy last week announced Tuesday that he would resign. Nakagawa reportedly slurred his speech and appeared half asleep and had trouble answering questions from reporters at a news conference following the Group of Seven (G7) financial leaders' meeting in Rome Saturday.