http://home.kyodo.co.jp/index.php Kyodo News on the Web: Daily international, Japan news, Japan News, national and local news coverage from the newspaper, breaking news updates, technology news, sports, reviews, listings. Kyodo News (C) All Rights Reserved http://home.kyodo.co.jp/index.php en http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484976 Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapakse dissolved the country's parliament Tuesday, setting the stage for another national election two months ahead of schedule. The dissolution followed the arrest the previous day of former army chief Sarath Fonseka, the main opposition candidate who was defeated in the country's presidential vote on Jan. 26. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484975 A House of Representatives committee said Tuesday it has decided to postpone a Wednesday hearing into Toyota Motor Corp.'s massive recalls because another snowstorm is expected to head for the U.S. capital later Tuesday. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said the hearing, ''Toyota gas pedals: Is the public at risk,'' is rescheduled for Feb. 24. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484974 U.S. regulators may launch an investigation into possible defects of the electric power steering in 2009 and 2010 Corollas, the Automotive News reported in its online edition Tuesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering the action in response to 83 complaints drivers have filed to the federal agency since April 2008 regarding the compact car's power-steering system, the newspaper said. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484973 Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will recall about 437,000 vehicles worldwide to repair brake problems in its best-selling Prius and three other hybrid models, in a blow to the automaker's brand strength as a pioneer in green technology. Other models subject to the recall are the luxury Lexus HS250h sedan, the hybrid-only Sai compact sedan and the plug-in Prius hybrid, all of which employ a similar brake system to the Prius, the automaker said. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484972 New York stocks soared Tuesday morning on diminished worries over the course of the U.S. economy. The 30-issue Dow Jones Industrial Average, which fell 103.84 points to end below 10,000 Monday for the first time since Nov. 4, gained 72.18 points, standing at 9,980.57 at 11:15 a.m. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484970 Selected editorial excerpts from the U.S. press: THE SUMMIT GAMBIT (The Wall Street Journal, New York) http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484969 Selected editorial excerpts from the U.S. press: DID UKRAINE'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REVERSE ITS 'COLOR REVOLUTION'? (The Washington Post, Washington) http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484964 A flurry of diplomatic activities took place Tuesday in Beijing toward the resumption of the six-party denuclearization talks as North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan arrived in the Chinese capital and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's special envoy began a four-day visit to North Korea. The visits came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told senior Chinese Communist Party official Wang Jiarui in Pyongyang that the ''sincerity of relevant parties to resume the six-party talks is very important,'' according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484963 Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to place Yukio Edano, a lawmaker from his Democratic Party of Japan, in the post of administrative reform minister, currently held by national strategy minister Yoshito Sengoku concurrently, political sources said Tuesday. An attestation ceremony is expected to take place Wednesday and will bring the number of Hatoyama's Cabinet ministers to 17, the sources said. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=484960 A 38-year-old man told police during voluntary questioning on Tuesday that recently retired sumo grand champion Asashoryu had assaulted him in a car, investigative sources said. The Metropolitan Police Department may consider whether to question the Mongolian himself about the incident, the sources said.