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Envoy hands over Pyongyang peace missive to Chinese president

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:58:46 -0400

BEIJING - A senior North Korean envoy delivered a letter from his leader Kim Jong-un to Chinese President Xi Jinping and told him that Pyongyang was ready to take "positive action" to re-join stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. The letter was handed over by envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae. Choe told Xi that North Korea is willing to take positive actions to solve problems ...

Amnesty laments lack of support for refugees globally

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:46:37 -0400

LONDON - Global rights body Amnesty International has said that the world is "increasingly" becoming "dangerous place" for refugees due to inaction on human rights. The London-based group in its annual report cited the increasing number of refugees around the world, and highlighted the lack of support for them, as the key human rights issue for the past year. It said that the number of ...

VM Go around Asia on luxury cruise this summer

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:30:01 -0400

Aspiring to give every passenger a best-ever cruise experience, Royal Caribbean International's groundbreaking Voyager-class ship Mariner of the Seas, will begin its maiden Asian journey from Singapore in June. The grand liner docked here Friday on its voyage from Dubai to Singapore. It will dock at Kochi Sunday before heading for Singapore, from where it will begin its maiden Asian journey June ...

China Pakistan vow to deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:20:03 -0400

Beijing, May 25 (Xinhua-ANI): China and Pakistan agreed to cement their strategic partnership and deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation in various areas, according to a joint statement issued Thursday during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the South Asian country. In the statement, China reaffirms that its relationship with Pakistan is always a priority in its foreign policy and ...

Uniformed French soldier stabbed in neck while on patrol in Paris

Sat, 25 May 2013 21:00:11 -0400

A French soldier stabbed in the neck Saturday while on patrol in Paris was expected to survive, said authorities, who had yet to make an arrest in the attack. Sky News reported the 23-year-old victim was with two other soldiers when his assailant approached from behind in a busy underground train station about 6 p.m., cut him with a knife or box-cutter and fled. Sky News said CCTV footage ...

Forum Raises Awareness Of Bruneis Asean Chairmanship

Sat, 25 May 2013 20:09:52 -0400

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Brunei Civil Society Forum on Asean Organisation saw a large turnout of students and members of Non-government Organisation (NGOs) at the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre (OGDC) Theatre yesterday ...

Anti-Muslim backlash on rise in UK

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:18 -0400

LONDON: Anti-Muslim hate crimes have been reported from various parts of Britain since Wednesday's murder of drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich. Organizations working to reduce hate crimes are reporting a 10-fold increase in the number of such attacks. Faith Matters, an organization that works to reduce extremism, said it has received 150 complaints of hate crimes in just 48 hours compared to ...

Many dead in Philippines anti-terror opAt least seven Filipino marines and five militants were killed in a clash on Saturday as the military launched an offensive against al-Qaida-linked gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:16 -0400

Abu Sayyaf militants were wounded in the gunbattle that raged for an hour in a sparsely populated village on the fringes of the coastal town of Patikul in Sulu province, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said. Reinforcement troops were hunting down the fleeing militants, who were believed to be led by Julaswan Sawadjaan, ...

Over 260m victims of caste-based bias UN

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:16 -0400

UNITED NATIONS: More than 260 million people across the world are still victims of human rights abuses due to caste-based discrimination, a group of independent experts appointed by the UN warned on Saturday and asked South Asian countries to strengthen legislation to protect them. "This form (caste-based) of discrimination entails gross and wide-ranging human rights abuses, including brutal ...

MI5 wanted London killer to spy for them Friend

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:07 -0400

LONDON: Counterterrorism police on Saturday questioned a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two suspects in the killing of an unarmed British soldier drummer Lee Rigby. The friend, Abu Nusaybah, was arrested immediately after he gave a BBC Television interview describing how Adebolajo may have become radicalized and alleging that Britain's security services tried to recruit him. Police said ...

Soldiers beheading opens floodgates for charity in UK

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:06 -0400

Lee Rigby, the British soldier who was beheaded in UK's Woolwich by two Islamist radicals was identified by them as a soldier for wearing a t-shirt with the name of the charity that helps soldiers in need. Now, the charity "Help ...

French payout case IMF chief named key witness

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:02:06 -0400

Christine Lagarde said on Friday a court named her as a key witness in an investigation into a controversial payoff to an outspoken businessman that was arranged while she was ...

Wave of public rapes in Brazil stirs outrage

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:46 -0400

RIO DE JANEIRO: The attacks have stunned this city. In one, an assailant held a gun to the head of a 30-year-old woman while raping her in front of passengers on a bus. In another, a 14-year-old girl from a slum was raped on one of Rio's most famous beach stretches. In yet another case, men abducted and raped a working-class woman in a transit van as it wended through densely populated ...

1976 Apple model sells for $668000

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:38 -0400

BERLIN: An auctioneer says one of Apple's first computers - a functioning 1976 model - has been sold for a record 516,000 ($668,000). The computer, with a wooden keyboard, is being offered for sale along with a batch of ancient typewriters and a 1905 toy battleship. German auction house Breker said on Saturday an Asian client, who asked not to be named, bought the so-called Apple 1, which ...

Chinas Communist Party defends secret police system

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:35 -0400

Communist Party has defended 'Shuanggui', its secret police investigating allegations of corruption against party officials. This came as a response to a controversy about the party's high-handed ways after a recent death in custody. The death of an employee of an investment company, Yu Qiyi, caused a major uproar online last April causing embarrassment to the party. Lin Zhe, an ...

Militants ambush police convoy in Peshawar 6 dead

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:34 -0400

Six policemen were killed and a district police officer (DPO) and his guards injured when militants attacked their vehicles with rockets in the outskirts of Peshawar on Saturday. DPO Dilawar Bangash was along with his escort when his convoy was ambushed by militants near a check post . They were equipped with RPG-7 rockets and they targeted two vehicles. The attack destroyed one vehicle ...

Myanmar state sets 2-child limit for Muslims

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:34 -0400

YANGON: Authorities in Myanmar's western Rakhine state have introduced a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families in an effort to ease tensions with the Rohingya's Buddhist neighbours after a spate of deadly sectarian violence, an official said on Saturday. Local officials said the new measure - part of a policy that will also ban polygamy - will be applied to two Rakhine townships ...

Million doses of fake aspirin from China seized in France

Sat, 25 May 2013 17:45:55 -0400

RENNES, France (AFP) - French customs officers have seized 1.2 million doses of counterfeit aspirin from China, the biggest haul of fake medicines ever in France and the EU, the economy ministry announced Saturday.The goods, seized May 17 in the northwestern port of Le Havre, were hidden in a cargo of tea that arrived from China, the ministry said in a statement. The powder was mostly glucose and ...

Maoist rebels kill 17 in central India ambush

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:37:16 -0400

Heavily-armed Maoist rebels on Saturday killed 17 people, including 12 local Congress leaders, after ambushing a convoy in a remote tribal belt of central India, a top police officer ...

Sixth night of riots in StockholmStockholm experienced a sixth straight night of riots early Saturday with cars torched in several immigrant-dominated suburbs as Britain and the US warned against travelling to the hotspots.

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:11:42 -0400

STOCKHOLM: Stockholm experienced a sixth straight night of riots early Saturday, with cars torched in several immigrant-dominated suburbs, as Britain and the United States warned against travelling to the hotspots. Nearly a week of unrest, which spread briefly Friday night to the medium-sized city of Oerebro 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Stockholm, have put Sweden's reputation as an ...

Syria rebels fight on as peace talks pressure mounts

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:11:35 -0400

Hezbollah-backed assault on a strategic central town as pressure grew on the opposition to attend a peace conference after the regime agreed to do so. The main opposition National Coalition has met in Istanbul for three days trying to overcome deep divisions over Russian and US proposals to convene a conference to which representatives of President Bashar al-Assad would be invited without any ...

Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork roast

Sat, 25 May 2013 16:11:29 -0400

OLYMPIA (Washington): With Washington state about to embark on a first-of-its-kind legal market for recreational marijuana, the budding ranks of new cannabis growers face a quandary over what to do with the excess stems, roots and leaves from their plants. Susannah Gross, who owns a five-acre farm north of Seattle, is part of a group experimenting with a solution that seems to make the most of ...

Suspected rebels kill 16 wound 25 in east India

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:10:41 -0400

Police say suspected Maoist rebels attacked a convoy of cars carrying local leaders and supporters of India's ruling Congress party in eastern India, killing at least 16 people and wounding 25 ...

New fighting in central Sudanese state between army and rebels

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:02:02 -0400

Sudanese army and rebels in a central state where insurgents launched a major attack last month, both sides said on Saturday. The government is grappling with an umbrella of rebel groups trying to move its fight to ...

30 dead in Lebanon Sunni-Alawite clashes

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:28:14 -0400

THIRTY people have reportedly been killed in firefights in northern Lebanon between Sunni Muslims and Alawites - the Shi'ite offshoot sect to which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and machineguns have all been used in six days of clashes in the port city of Tripoli in the deadliest violence to rock the country for years, security sources say. Most ...

Hezbollah chief promises victory in Syria conflict

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:09 -0400

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah delivers a broadcast speech during a rally commemorating 'Liberation Day,' which marks the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon in 2000, in Mashghara village, Bekaa valley, Lebanon on May 25, 2013. ...

Police arrest Asian gamblers in Abu Dhabi

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:30:42 -0400

The Western Police received a call from the victim, who works as a mechanic, after being stabbed by the two escaped attackers in an industrial area near ...

China premier criticises EU for telecom probe solar panel tax

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:36:29 -0400

China'sPremierLi Keqiang has slammed the European Union for plans to probe the country's telecom products and impose taxes on its solar panels, Chinese state media reported on ...

Pennsylvania native strives to fly from worlds wonders

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:33:54 -0400

Jon Potter didn't need to be asked twice. When a guard pointed to the top of the Bent Pyramid, Potter quickly climbed up through cracks in its limestone face. The 22-year-old Lawrenceville native carried the equipment of a small ...

Female suicide bomber injures 18 in southern Russia

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:30:53 -0400

Bombings have become common in Dagestan. On May 20th, four people died after two bombs exploded the regional capital of Makhachkala, where a suicide bomber struck on Saturday. (Abdula Magomedov/Associated ...

Saudi Arabia warns against Irans nuclear programme

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:29:57 -0400

Oracle Financial Services rallies on strong response for OFS The promoters had received bids for 17.34 million shares against 4.43 million shares offered for ...

Thousands defy Malaysia govt to hold rally

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:29:45 -0400

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people rallied near Malaysia's capital Saturday night against alleged electoral fraud, further raising the political temperature after divisive recent polls.The latest in a series of protest rallies over the May 5 elections -- which the opposition says were won fraudulently by the 56-year-old ruling coalition -- saw a large crowd gather in ...

Three Delhi restaurants among Asias best

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:27:48 -0400

Three of the capital's tony eateries are among a list of 101 Best Restaurants in Asia 2013.Varq at The Taj Mahal Hotel that serves Indian cuisine was ranked at number six and ITC Maurya's Bukhara, frequented for its delectable north Indian cuisine, was at number 24.The Taj Palace Hotel's Orient Express, which specialises in French cuisine, was ranked at 55.The other Indian ...

Africa celebrates progress and 50 years of unity

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:33:43 -0400

ADDIS ABABA (Ethiopia): African leaders on Saturday opened extravagant celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the African Union, with the continent's myriad problems set aside for a day to mark the progress that has been made. African Union chairman and Ethiopian Prime ...

Hostages taken by Islamists rescued Nigerian army

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:33:43 -0400

A handout picture released on May 25, 2013 by the Nigerian military shows members of the Nigerian defence headquarter team inspecting an alleged Boko Haram base in Kirenowa. Nigeria declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states on May 14 as it launched a military offensive to end Boko Haram's four-year insurgency. (Via ...

Hezbollah Syrian government forces push for advance in Qusair

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:22:48 -0400

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah launched a fierce campaign to seize more rebel territory in the border town of Qusair on Saturday, sources on both sides of the conflict ...

Clashes at Moscow gay rally 30 arrested

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:10:44 -0400

MOSCOW: Gay-rights campaigners and their opponents clashed at an unsanctioned rally in the Russian capital on Saturday, but a heavy police presence in Ukraine kept the two sides apart at that country's first-ever gay pride march. Russian police said they arrested at least 30 gay rights campaigners and Christian Orthodox vigilantes in Moscow. The campaigners tried to unfurl banners denouncing ...

School bus catches fire in Pakistan 16 children killed

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:43:14 -0400

Islamabad, May 25/Nationalturk- In a tragic incident, a school bus caught fire in Pakistan's Gujarat city on Saturday, causing death of 16 school children and a teacher. Police said van, which was carrying school children of Rajayki, Chak Khagha and Mangowal villages to Jinnah Public School in Gujarat, about 112 kilometres (70 miles) north of the eastern city on Lahore, caught fire this ...

For the first time Pakistan gives representation to a Sikh in Sindhs Zimmi welfare

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:11:39 -0400

AMRITSAR: For the first time a Sikh has been included in the Sindh Zimmi welfare committee, Pakistan to ensure development of Gurdwara's, the welfare of the Sikh community in Sindh along with equal distribution of funds provided by the ministry of minorities. ...

Taiwan protests Philippine naval ships in disputed waters

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:46:31 -0400

Protesters hurl eggs at the Philippines representative office in Taipei, Taiwan and the Philippines are embroiled in a diplomatic row over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel earlier this month. -- PHOTO: ...

British spies tried to recruit London killer

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:10:03 -0400

MI5 tried to recruit one of the two Islamists accused of butchering a soldier in London. Abu Nusaybah, who says he is a childhood friend of murder ...

Japan PM vows all possible help for Myanmar economy

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:34:01 -0400

Japan's premier on Saturday pledged "all possible assistance" to kick-start Myanmar's ailing economy, hailing a major industrial zone near Yangon as a symbol of development for the impoverished ...

Easter Island statue erected in Japan tsunami town

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:42:07 -0400

TOKYO (AFP) - A giant statue from Chile's Easter Island on Saturday found a new home in a small tsunami-devastated Japanese town where it will become a symbol for its recovery.The new statue, with coral eyes and a stone hat, was erected near the town's shopping area, where makeshift stores now operate after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed almost the entire town.The ...

Seoul press doubtful over North Korea dialogue offer

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:33:26 -0400

SEOUL--South Korea’s press on Saturday expressed scepticism over an apparent offer by North Korea that it was willing to return to six-party nuclear disarmament talks. North Korean special envoy Choe Ryong-Hae met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and reportedly handed him a letter from leader Kim Jong-Un in a sign Pyongyang may be backing away from confrontation with the ...

Japan mayor to apologise to US over brothels comment

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:28:59 -0400

A Japanese politician who drew fire for calling"comfort women" a wartime necessity has been forced to apologise for suggestingUS soldiers in Okinawa visit brothels to vent their violent ...

Four researchers exposed to radiation at Japanese lab

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:28:57 -0400

TOKYO: Four researchers were exposed to radiation inan accident at a Japanese nuclear physics laboratory this week, officials said onSaturday.The accident occurred on Thursday at a laboratory in Tokaimura, 120 kilometres (75 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) said.The researchers were carrying out an experiment to generate particles by firing a proton beam at gold ...

Asian death wave tops a year of big disasters

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:39:36 -0400

The earthquake and tidal waves that took the lives of more than 23,000 in countries around the Indian Ocean was the latest and biggest of a series of natural disasters in 2004, one of the worst years in recent memory. The other events include:February 24Morocco. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit the northeastern region of Al Hoceima, killing 628 and injuring more than 900. March ...

Sharjah eyes more Korean Asian tourists and investments ahead of Seoul summit

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:33:36 -0400

WAM SHARJAH, May 25, 2013 (WAM)--The Third UAE-Korea Economic Partnership Forum that opens tomorrow will help provide a direct impetus to the travel and tourism industry in Sharjah and the UAE by way of more Korean and Asian tourists and investments in the promising tourism and hospitality sector, said Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. This ...

Mumbai case Trial of Pakistani suspects adjourned till June 1

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:33:32 -0400

Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks was today adjourned till June 1 as the government is yet to appoint a chief prosecutor to handle the case. The trial suffered a major setback when chief ...

Friend of suspect in London attack arrested after BBC interview

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:33:30 -0400

LONDON: Counter-terrorism police are questioning a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two men suspected of the savage killing of a British ...

17 children and six policemen killed in Pakistan

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:10:44 -0400

ISLAMABAD: ISLAMABAD: At least 17 children and a female teacher were burnt to death when a gas cylinder fitted into a school van exploded on Saturday in Pakistan's eastern city of Gujrat. At least 10 more children also sustained injuries when the van caught fire. According to police officials, the children were aged between five and 15 years. Emergency teams reached the scene to rescue the ...

Blast in mosque kills 12 people in eastern Afghanistan

Sat, 25 May 2013 05:58:23 -0400

KABUL - Authorities in eastern Afghanistan say explosives transported by suspected Taliban fighters accidentally detonated while they were stopped at a mosque, killing 12 people. Local official Qasim Desewal said Saturday that four civilians and eight militants died in the blast during evening prayers the night before in Ghazni province's district of Andar. He said that the Taliban had ...

Balloons bring smiles in war-weary Afghan capital

Sat, 25 May 2013 05:22:00 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Artists and activists have handed out 10,000 pink balloons to residents in Afghanistan's war-weary capital, bringing smiles to surprised Kabul residents a day after a major Taliban siege on an international compound in the ...

Radiation leak at Japan lab small impact expected

Sat, 25 May 2013 05:21:59 -0400

TOKYO (AP) -- A nuclear research lab in northern Japan has reported a radiation leak that may have affected 55 people, though none were hospitalized and no impact was expected outside the ...

Aberdeen favours Asia in tough year for investors

Sat, 25 May 2013 05:01:13 -0400

Asian companies could offer some of the best opportunities in 2009, in what promises to be another ';extremely tough year'; for investors, says Aberdeen Asset Management. The group expects investment in the key asset classes of equities, fixed income and property to continue to be challenging as evidence of a global economic slowdown accumulates. Aberdeen forecasts that both the ...

At least four exposed to radiation after Japan laboratory leak

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:59:07 -0400

TOKYO: At least four people, and possibly up to 55, were exposed to radiation when radioactive material leaked during a laboratory experiment in Japan, the facility's operators said on Saturday, although authorities were not told of the leak for two days. The radioactive material also leaked outside the nuclear physics laboratory in Tokaimura, 110 km (65 miles) northeast of Tokyo, during the ...

Send money to India

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:31:36 -0400

Maruti's Swift Dzire overtook its sibling for the first time to become the country's second-highest sold car after Alto. We take a look at the entry-level sedans that are giving high-end hatchbacks a run for their ...

China seeks shared development pragmatic cooperation with ASEAN FM

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:29:26 -0400

China strives for shared development and pragmatic cooperation with ASEAN countries to promote peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia, said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the ASEAN Plus China Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Bali, Indonesia Thursday.Yang said this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue relationship and in the past 20 ...

For weeks killers hunted for soldiersA man has said he was on the brink of meeting the same fate as drummer Lee Rigby at the hands of the two killers weeks before the attack.

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:20:14 -0400

Woolwich killers , both British men of Nigerian origin, went out hunting for soldiers in weeks before the attack in the same area. According to 46-year-old Paul Ramsamy, the pair confronted him after apparently mistaking him for a soldier because he was wearing combat trousers and boots. The incident took place in Greenwich as Ramsamy walked home. The father of two said the ...

China seeks win-win development with Asia

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:17:39 -0400

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Residents in Hekou in southwest China can still recall its former days as a quiet, anonymous town that attracted few visitors from neighboring Vietnam for business or sightseeing.But major changes have hit the town in Yunnan province. With two roads and one rail line linking it with Vietnam, Hekou has become a bustling hub for Vietnamese visitors buying bargain ...

After Kabul attacks 10000 peace balloons

Sat, 25 May 2013 02:42:43 -0400

After a day of explosions and gunfire, residents of Kabul woke up on Saturday morning to be greeted by a public art project in which volunteers handed out 10,000 neon-pink "peace" ...

Three survive US bridge collapse new span sought

Sat, 25 May 2013 02:16:26 -0400

MOUNT VERNON , Washington: Authorities searched for a temporary span after a key bridge linking the US and Canada collapsed, dumping a handful of vehicles and people into the icy water. All three people who fell into the Skagit River in northwestern Washington state escaped with only minor injuries. The four-lane Interstate 5 bridge collapsed about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, British ...

UK fighter jets escort Pak plane after midair scare

Sat, 25 May 2013 02:16:23 -0400

Pakistan International Airlines pilot sent out an emergency call alarmed by two men trying to barge into the cockpit. Both the men were arrested after the plane was escorted by Royal Air Force fighters and diverted from Manchester to the ...

2014 Asian Golf Tourism Convention to be held at Mission Hills Haikou

Sat, 25 May 2013 01:51:39 -0400

Asia’s golf tourism industry will be gathering on China’s tropical island of Hainan next spring as the region’s most important golf tourism convention moves to award-winning golf resort Mission Hills Haikou. The baton for the 3rd Asia Golf Tourism Convention was passed to China at a signing and hand-over ceremony on the final day of AGTC 2013, held at the Royal Cliff Hotel ...

11 dead as Philippine troops clash with militants

Sat, 25 May 2013 01:48:27 -0400

MANILA (AFP) - Eleven people were killed in the southern Philippines early Saturday as troops clashed with a militant group blamed for the country's deadliest terror attacks, the military said. The fighting left seven Filipino marines dead and nine others wounded on the island of Jolo, said Colonel Jose Cenabre, a local military commander. Four members of the Abu Sayyaf group were also ...

Obamas drone speech welcomed in Pakistan YemenPresident Barack Obamas speech on the use of drones and the fate of Guantanamo prisoners was largely welcomed Friday in two key countries affected by the policies — Pakistan and Yemen.

Sat, 25 May 2013 01:08:44 -0400

Obama cast drone strikes against Islamic militants as crucial to US counterterrorism efforts but acknowledged in his landmark speech on Thursday that they are not a ...

Workers Struggles Asia Australia and the Pacific

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:43:10 -0400

Permanent and contract employees at privately-owned Brahmani Steel protested outside the Revenue Division office in Kadappa on May 20 to demand payment of six months' outstanding wages. Management told workers that they would be paid if they accepted voluntary retirement. The workers, who had been employed at the company for at least six years, rejected the "offer" and submitted a ...

Gas cylinder blast on Pakistan school bus kills 17

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:34:17 -0400

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A pair of suspected militant attacks killed nine people in two different areas of northwest Pakistan on Friday, police said.In the deadlier of the two attacks, suspected militants armed with heavy weapons attacked a police convoy in Mattani, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the main northwest city of Peshawar, killing six policemen and wounding seven others, said senior ...

Militants attacks kill 9 in Pakistan

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:59:11 -0400

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A pair of suspected militant attacks killed nine people in two different areas of northwest Pakistan on Friday, police ...

Radical preacher claims to know Woolwich attacker

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:54:34 -0400

LONDON: A radical Islamist preacher has now been identified who is believed to have brainwashed Britain's most hated man this moment--Michael Adebolajo. Photographs and videos have been found showing Adebolajo taking part in Islamic rallies by Anjem Choudary, former head of the banned Islamist organisation Al Muhajiroun. Adebolajo beheaded British ...

Security services tried to recruit London killing suspect Friend

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:54:34 -0400

An alleged friend of London soldier murder suspect Michael Adebolajo was arrested at the BBC after telling the broadcaster that British security services had tried to recruit his ...

US push on Myanmar enters new phase

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:15:12 -0400

After a landmark visit by Thein Sein, the United States is looking to a new phase of greater cooperation to encourage reform with Myanmar as it runs out of major symbolic ...

China woos Lanka with $580m loan

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:12:31 -0400

BEIJING: China stepped up its efforts to win over another South Asian country, Sri Lanka, with its state-owned bank extending $580 million in loans days ahead of president Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Beijing on May 27-30. ...

Judge rules against Americas toughest sheriff in racial profiling lawsuit

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:59:52 -0400

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge found on Friday, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement ...

Jet on fire shuts down Heathrow for an hour

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:46:52 -0400

Heathrow , was thrown into chaos after a flight that took off for Oslo made a U-turn following an engine fire. As many as 75 passengers had a close shave ...

Kin mourn the death of big brother

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:46:51 -0400

terrorist attack in Woolwich. The shattered family of Rigby recalled the soldier as a doting father who would do "anything for anybody". The soldier, who was married and had a two-year-old son, was described as a "loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle, and a friend to many". In a statement, Rigby's family said: "Lee was lovely. He would do anything for ...

5 climbers feared dead on worlds third-highest peak in Nepal

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:09:59 -0400

Five men who disappeared earlier this week trying to climb the world's third-highest mountain are feared dead, searchers leading the recovery effort in Nepal said on Friday, saying few could survive this ...

World Briefing | Asia India 4 Soldiers and a Gunman Killed

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:08:50 -0400

Four Indian Army soldiers and a gunman suspected of being a rebel were killed in fighting in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Friday, officials said. Lt. Col Ankur Vashist, an army spokesman, said gunmen ambushed and fatally shot three soldiers near the village of Buchoo. After reinforcements arrived, another soldier was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the gunmen, Colonel Vashist ...

Asia Stocks Cap Worst Week Since XXXX Japan Plunges

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:58:32 -0400

Asian equities fell the most since July this week as Chinese manufacturing data missed estimates and amid concern that the U.S. might begin to unwind stimulus. Japanese shares had the largest one-day plunge since March 2011. The Topix Index plummeted 6.9 percent on May 23, wiping $314 billion from the world's best-performing stock market this year. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. ...

Senate confirms Sri Srinivasan 97-0 to Court of Appeals in US Capital

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:38:54 -0400

Indian-American Srikanth Srinivasan whose nomination to the US Court of Appeals for DC Circuit as a judge was unanimously approved by the Senate in Washington. (PTI ...

Tokyo plunges more than 7pct as Asian markets fall

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:50 -0400

Asian markets fell Thursday with Tokyo plunging more than seven percent as investors took profits after weak Chinese data and signs the US Federal Reserve could start tapering off its massive stimulus measures. Tokyo dropped on record volumes in the afternoon as investors panicked in the rush to take profit, with the index suffering its biggest daily percentage fall since the March 2011 ...

Is China Inserting Itself Into the Taiwan-Philippines Spat

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:47 -0400

This week a Chinese warship and a couple of maritime agency vessels conducted a patrol in the areas of the Spratly Islands that the Philippines claims, prompting an official rebuke from Manila. According to Philippines officials, at least three Chinese ships and 10 fishing boats were spotted near the Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Spratly Islands and about 200 kms off the coast of the ...

Obama’s silence on Taiwan masks its significance in Asia

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:46 -0400

For decades, when US policymakers contemplated conflict with China, their fears focused on Taiwan. Today, by contrast, Sino-American tensions seem to be on the rise everywhere but Taiwan, where relations between this island and the mainland have significantly improved. Since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, the government in Taipei has inked 18 agreements with China, ...

Japan slams Korea daily’s ‘A-bomb’ op-ed comments

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:43 -0400

Japan yesterday accused a South Korean newspaper of ';dishonourable'; behaviour for publishing an editorial suggesting the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were ';divine punishment';. The editorial in the Korean and English versions of the Joongang Ilbo daily on Monday said the 1945 nuclear bombs dropped by US planes, which together killed more than 200,000 people, ...

Chinese restaurant chain hopes to popularise hot pot in US

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:37 -0400

A popular chain of hot pot restaurants from China is set to be exported to the US this fall in the hopes of popularising the community style of eating among Western diners. According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, the first US outpost of Chinese restaurant chain Hai Di Lao will open in Los Angeles this fall, where diners will partake in what could be described as the Chinese version of ...

US China Set Pact On Auditor Access

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:37 -0400

The US and China have struck an agreement giving US accounting regulators access to documents from Chinese accounting firms. The deal, expected to be announced Friday, could help US regulators investigate the auditors of US-listed Chinese companies that might have been involved in accounting fraud. The agreement will allow the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to see audit records ...

New concerns for China’s rising middle class

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:36 -0400

With two cars, foreign holidays and a cook for their apartment, one Beijing family epitomises the new middle class created by China’s decades of rapid economic growth – and its resulting worries. Li Na, 42, a caterer at the capital’s zoo, and her husband Chi Shubo, 48, who works for a state-owned investment company, have seen their fortunes transformed since she arrived in ...

The Powerful People Arguing for US-China Free Trade

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:31 -0400

Recommending that the US and China work toward a free-trade deal is a bit like stepping into a prize fight and asking the boxers to settle their differences peacefully. But some powerful people on both sides of the Pacific Ocean are doing exactly that. A report by a blue-ribbon, binational panel assembled by the China-United States Exchange Foundation said this week that the countries ...

Huawei’s Middle East revenue rose 18pct in 2012 executive

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:30 -0400

China’s Huawei Technologies Co’s Middle East revenue rose 18 percent to $2.08 billion in 2012 and the roll-out of 4G mobile networks and IT outsourcing will be among its main regional growth drivers, the firm said. The world’s second-largest telecom equipment maker also expects Middle East telecom operators to prioritise improving network efficiency, Shi Yaohong, president of ...

Japan’s Meiji Yasuda can start buying 10-yr JGBs at 1 pct

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:28 -0400

Japan’s Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co said on Friday it will shift some of the money earmarked for foreign bonds to Japanese government bonds given their rise in yields. Japan’s third-largest private life insurer said it can start buying 10-year Japanese government bonds at 1 percent and 20-year debt at 1.7 percent. The 10-year yield was traded at 0.825 percent on Friday ...

Singapore economy basks in a rare burst of sunshine

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:27 -0400

IT was a good day for Singapore’s economy, with positive surprises on three fronts: An unexpected upgrade to gross domestic product (GDP) meant the economy grew 0.2 per cent instead of contracting in Q1, April inflation plunged to a three-year low of 1.5 per cent, and April factory output bounced 4.7 per cent not just on pharmaceuticals but also the first year-on-year electronics expansion ...

Indian companies line up to raise funds in Singapore

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:27 -0400

Easy access and a diversified investor base in the Singapore bond market is increasingly attracting Indian firms looking to raise money at cheaper rates. They have raised S$1 billion this year, already 30 percent higher than the whole of 2012, according to Dealogic, the global deal tracker. Recently, four Tata companies, including the marquee Tata Motors Ltd, raised $624 million in Singapore ...

Scientist’s family seeks US Congress Thai expert’s help

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:26 -0400

The parents of a US scientist found hanged in Singapore last year said Thursday they will seek a US congressional inquiry and tap a celebrity Thai pathologist to prove their son was murdered. Mary Todd, mother of the late researcher Shane Todd whose death in June 2012 was ruled a suicide by the Singapore police, indicated the family did not expect the US government to intervene because of its ...

HSBC Plans to Sell First Yuan Bond to Be Cleared in Singapore – Sources

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:26 -0400

HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC) plans to sell the first yuan-denominated bond to be cleared out of Singapore, in a step forward for the city-state which is trying to build itself into an offshore trading hub for the Chinese currency. The UK banking giant’s plan comes as Singapore is set to kick off its long-anticipated yuan-clearing service Monday, after Beijing in February approved Industrial ...

Philippines exports 15 metric tonnes of rice to HK

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:25 -0400

A shipment of 15 metric tonnes (MT) of black, brown and red rice from the Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBMPC) in Cotabato was exported last May 15 to Hong Kong, the department said in a statement. This is the country’s second rice shipment this month. The first shipment was on May 6 where 35 MT of organic black rice and aromatic Jasponica rice was sent to Dubai. Agriculture ...

Philippines business sentiment at all-time high in Q2 Central bank survey

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:24 -0400

Business sentiment in the Philippines soared to an all-time high during the second quarter after the country was awarded investment grade credit ratings by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s, the central bank said on Thursday. The result of the central bank’s quarterly Business Expectations Survey showed the overall confidence index rising to 54.9 per cent from first ...

Philippines cemetery provides Manila’s poor a place to live among the dead

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:24 -0400

Every morning, Alberto Lagarda Evangelista, 71, leaves the two-storey, lemon-yellow home he has lived in for the past decade and walks to work at the cemetery next door. As a caretaker of about 20 graves, Evangelista earns just 20,000 pesos (GBP 315) a year, a sum so small that he must share his house with seven other people – all of whom are dead. Evangelista lives and works in the ...

Philippine capital angered by ‘Da Vinci Code’ author

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:23 -0400

Philippine authorities Thursday reacted angrily over ';Da Vinci Code'; author Dan Brown’s portrayal of Manila as ';the gates of hell'; in his latest novel. The book ';Inferno'; includes a character who describes the capital as a city of horrible traffic jams, suffocating pollution, massive poverty and a thriving child sex trade. The chair of the government ...

Grounded ship is Philippines’ last line of defence

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:03:23 -0400

A handful of marines living on a World War II-era ship that is grounded on a remote, tiny reef is the Philippines’ last line of defence against China’s efforts to control most of the South China Sea. The soldiers are stationed on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands aboard a former US tank-landing vessel that was deliberately abandoned there to serve as a base, according to ...

Forum on Pan-Asian traveler trends

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:59:57 -0400

/enpproperty--> Set for June 3 at the Shanghai Theater, Portman Ritz-Carlton in Shanghai, the International Luxury Travel Market Asia 2013 opening forum will hear leading industry experts discussing the ongoing rise of the region's luxury travel industry and explore opportunities to build business across the region. Continuing until June 6, the expo will host nearly 500 elite ...

Reforming Telecommunications in Burma

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:34:17 -0400

This 24-page report outlines steps necessary to promote adequate protections for Internet and mobile phone users in Burma, and ways to foster responsible investment in Burma's telecom sector. In January 2013, the Burmese government announced plans to open the country's telecom sector to foreign investment and is scheduled to award two nationwide licenses to companies by June 27. As of ...

Asias Week China Still on Flu Watch

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:55:18 -0400

Qingdao, for a while, grew to the sky. (Photo: Wikipedia) While Asia basked another week in generally favorable economic winds-minus that little 7% stock squall in Japan in Thursday, whatever that was about-there remained an undercurrent of worry about China. ...

Letter Asian Islands in Dispute

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:49:14 -0400

To the Editor: Re ...

Bail denied to Massachusetts teen accused of Facebook terror post

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:37:08 -0400

BOSTON (Reuters) - A judge denied bail on Friday to a Massachusetts teenager who was arrested on terrorism charges after posting lyrics on his Facebook page suggesting he could do worse than the Boston Marathon ...

UK clears first free school for Sikhs

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:23:51 -0400

LONDON: Authorities have approved England's first free school for Sikhs in Leicester, which has a sizeable ethnic minority population. Nine gurdwara leaders had proposed the school, which will open in September next year. The school, where only vegetarian food will be served, will be open to students from other two faiths too, but half its seats will be reserved for Sikh students. The state ...

Policeman five gunmen killed in Kabul Taliban attack

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:46:59 -0400

KABUL (AFP) - Explosions rocked central Kabul for several hours on Friday after Taliban gunmen launched a major suicide and gun attack centred on a compound of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).One police officer was killed and five militants were shot dead as security forces hunted down the attackers, with prolonged bursts of gunfire and grenade blasts heard across the Afghan ...

Boris Becker backing new Asian tennis league

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:44:28 -0400

The three-time Wimbledon champion is joining ex-players Justin Gimelstob and Mahesh Bhupathi in founding the International Premier Tennis ...

French troops stage Niger raid jihadists threaten new attacks

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:34:09 -0400

French special forces and local troops raided an army base Friday in northern Niger, ending a hostage seizure by Islamist fighters who had staged twin suicide bombings that killed at least 20 ...

Asia Entertainment Resources Ltd. Announces Proposed Rights Offering

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:25:57 -0400

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Asia Entertainment & Resources Ltd. ("AERL") ( ), which operates through its subsidiaries and related promoter companies as a VIP room gaming promoter in Macau, today announced the record date for a proposed rights offering. As AERL previously announced, AERL is seeking to dual list its securities on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In order ...

Google eyes African Asian markets

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:21:37 -0400

GOOGLE is reportedly deeply involved in a series of projects to build and operate wireless networks in emerging markets including sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast ...

Yen trade volatile in Asia along with Japan market

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:23:29 -0400

TOKYO--Yen trading was volatile in Asia on Friday in tandem with wild swings on the Tokyo stock market, but some analysts said the Japanese currency's weakening trend was likely to ...