WASHINGTON/BEIJING – China yesterday rejected criticism of its exchange rate policies and said it was being made a “scapegoat” after the US Congress threatened to slap duties on Chinese goods unless it revalues its yuan.

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CANBERRA – Australia is urging China to allow Australian diplomats access to the entire trial of four Rio Tinto staff charged with commercial spying, Australia’s foreign minister said.

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WASHINGTON – Mindful that this year’s pivotal US congressional elections will be decided on jobs and the economy, President Barack Obama is putting his main focus where the votes are — on his domestic priorities.

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WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama picked up support for healthcare reform yesterday from a prominent liberal and a group of Catholic nuns, who broke with bishops on the issue of abortion and urged passage of the overhaul.

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BAGHDAD – The voting may be over, but the March 7 parliamentary election viewed as a make-or-break moment for Iraq as it tries to emerge from decades of economic decline, dictatorship and war is far from over.

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MOSCOW – A bitter dispute over Israeli settlements is clouding the chances for progress tomorrow at a high-level Moscow meeting aimed at advancing Middle East peace.

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KIEV – An International Monetary Fund mission will visit Ukraine at the end of March to discuss a resumption of lending with the new leadership and Ukrainian officials said they expected “difficult talks.”

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ABUJA – Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the cabinet yesterday in a bid to consolidate his authority at the helm of Africa’s most populous nation a month after he assumed executive powers.

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BRUSSELS – The biggest European Union nations have based long-term goals to cut their budget deficits on optimistic economic growth assumptions, which could mean they miss the targets, the European Commission said.