Former currency minister Sakakibara warned it might happen and the Bank of Japan had to act against raging market forces in a bid to prevent a self-reinforcing rumor-mill from strengthening the yen.
"The worst part of this epidemic is that it isn't the product of deadly natural forcesraging out of control, but a sophisticated, deliberate marketing campaign, targeted at our children, " Clinton said.
The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of anti-government activists based inside Syria, said 66 people had been killed in and around Damascus on Saturday, where clashes between rebels and government forces have also been raging in recent weeks.