Afghanistan
- A bicycle bomb killed nine people in Faryab.
China
- In an effort to get a larger piece of the lucrative (and large) Chinese market, Ford plans to double production in the country by 2015. The car maker anticipates sales will reach 30 million vehicles by 2020, approximately double their U.S. sales.
- China has denied claims that it attempted to assassinate the Dalai Lama by sending female agents to kill him with poisoned hair and scarves[1]. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said "his sensational allegations are not even worth refuting".
Greece
- Yet another failed round of efforts to form a coalition government has led to increased fears of a Greek default, followed by Greece leaving the Euro zone. the country could run out of funds by June, and currently has no government in place to negotiate the next aid loan from the European Union.
Syria
- Raising increasing questions about the effectiveness of the UN-brokered cease fire, 23 Syrian soldiers were killed in fighting near Rastan
United States
- Ina Drew, chief investment officer of J.P. Morgan Chase, is expected to resign this week in the wake of $2 billion in realized losses from credit default swaps[2] (with the promise of another $1 billion in losses as the company tries to wind the positions down).
- Brazilian-born Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has renounced his US citizenship to become a resident of Singapore. Some estimates are that this will allow him to avoid some $600 million in taxes. An analysis by Forbes magazine disputes this, however.
[1] The said nothing about other methods they may have employed, however.
[2] You remember credit default swaps, don't you? The things that tried to destroy the market a few years back? Sure you do.
