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Two civilians among 13 dead in Pakistan car bomb

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:37:50 -0400

QUETTA, Pakistan - At least 13 people, including two civilians, were killed in a car bomb targeting a police vehicle in western Pakistani city of Quetta Thursday, police officials said. The bombing also injured at least 20 people in the capital of Baluchistan province, riven by Islamist militancy and a violent separatist insurgency. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the ...

Kerry holds talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:37:23 -0400

JERUSALEM - US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday separately began meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials but appeared doubtful about his success on getting the two warring sides back to peace negotiations. This is Kerry's fourth trip to the Middle East in as many months of his assuming the office of the top US diplomat. He was been trying to revive a peace process that has been ...

Meeting of Syrian opposition leaders begins in Istanbul

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:33:08 -0400

ISTANBUL - Syrian opposition leaders Thursday began their three-day meeting in this Turkish capital city to decide on their participation in talks aimed at end the civil war in the country. As the meeting began in Istanbul a prominent Syrian figure in the opposition proposed a transition plan for the country that requires President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a senior aide and leave ...

On US request Russian arms dealer held in Lithuania

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:50:02 -0400

Lithuanian security services have arrested a Russian national at the request of the US Justice Department, which suspects him of smuggling export-restricted military equipment. Dmitry Ustinov, 46, was detained over a month ago at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, after he arrived from the US to allegedly negotiate a sales deal for night vision equipment used by the US military, the Delfi news portal ...

Americold Names Hogwarth as SVP of Asia-Pacific

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:57 -0400

has appointed Jeff Hogarth as senior vice president of Asia-Pacific.He will report to Jeffrey M. Gault, president and CEO of the company, which specializes in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics for the food industry.Hogarth has worked for Americold and its predecessor companies for 23 years. During his tenure, he has held various leadership roles within the company and will now be ...

SCFI Asia-to-US Spot Rates Strengthen

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:55 -0400

Shanghai Containerized Freight Index spot rates for U.S.-bound trade lanes experienced moderate increases in the week of May 24, following general rate increases of $400 per 40-foot container moving from Asia to the U.S. West Coast and $600 per FEU from Asia to the U.S. East Coast implemented by USL and CMA CGM on May ...

Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary praises London killer Adebolajo

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:41:51 -0400

Lee Rigby in Woolwich on Wednesday in broad daylight. After committing the crime, Adebolajo made chilling rants on camera to passerbys watching in horror. He said, "Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers ... Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace". On Friday, radical preacher Choudary actually came out to praise Adebolajo's views. Choudary said he was ...

Obamas drone speech could improve Pakistan ties

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:40:10 -0400

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- President Barack Obama's decision to impose more restrictive rules governing U.S. drone strikes and his prediction that they will be used less could pave the way for better relations with the new government of key ally Pakistan, officials and analysts said ...

NKorean envoy delivers letter to Chinas president

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:08:43 -0400

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, greets North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae in Beijing Friday, May 24, 2013. The top North Korean envoy delivered a letter from leader Kim Jong Un to Xi on Friday and told him Pyongyang would take steps to rejoin stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, in an apparent victory for ...

Eimskip Profits From Strong Reefer Volume in Intra-Asia

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:02:35 -0400

Eimskip , the Icelandic shipping and logistics group, posted higher first quarter earnings and revenue as strong reefer traffic in intra-Asian trades more than offset flat container volumes in the North Atlantic.Net earnings more than tripled to 2.53 million euros ($3.3 million) from 582,000 euros ($757,000) in the first three months of 2012 on revenue up 12.4 percent at 105.3 million euros ($144 ...

Fire in British Airways flight from Heathrow shuts down both its runways

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:54:23 -0400

LONDON: Air traffic in one of the world's busiest airports - Heathrow was completely thrown into chaos after a flight that took off for Oslo made a quick U-turn back following an engine fire. As many as 75 passengers had a close shave when a British Airways jet was forced to perform an emergency landing at Heathrow with smoke and flames pouring out from one of its engines. Eye-witnesses saw ...

GM Paragua shares Asian chess top spot with Li

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:53:57 -0400

5.0 points--GM Mark Paragua (PH), GM Li Chao (Chn); 4.5--GM Julio Catalino Sadorra (PH), GM John Paul Gomez (PH), GM Le Quang Liem (Vie), GM Baskaran Adhiban (Ind), GM Subramanian Arun Prasad (Ind), GM Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb); 4.0--GM Richard Bitoon (PH), IM Wan Yunguo (Chn), GM Krishnan Sasikiran (Ind), GM G.N. Gopal (Ind), GM Santosh Gujrathi (Ind), IM Firman Syah Farid (Ina), GM Nguyen Ngoc ...

World Briefing | Asia Earthquake in Russias Far East Prompts Evacuations

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:46:42 -0400

An 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck ...

North Korea slams South Korean leader as confrontation maniac

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:29:09 -0400

Park Geun-hye of hurting the dignity of its leadership and slammed her as "a confrontation maniac". The warning came a day after Park denounced North Korean ...

Suicide bomb hits Kabul as Taliban battle police

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:53:18 -0400

Afghan police aim their weapons after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 24, 2013. A suicide bomber struck in the heart of the Afghan capital on Friday, sending a plume of smoke billowing over Kabul and setting up a gun battle in the second major attack in the city in little over a week, police said. (AP Photo/Ahmad ...

Asian Stocks End Mixed Nikkei Rises After Turbulent Trading

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:52:15 -0400

Asian stocks traded mixed on Friday, with extreme volatility in Japanese shares keeping investors nervous. Japan's Nikkei index swung over 1,000 points for a second day in a row before ending notably higher on optimism over earnings growth and ...

Japan PM begins three-day visit to Myanmar

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:41:19 -0400

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe begins a three-day visit to Myanmar on Friday -- the first trip by a Japanese leader to the previously isolated nation in over three ...

Lebanese President cautions Hezbollah over Syria role

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:45:00 -0400

Hezbollah on Friday over its militants' intervention on the side of the regime in the conflict in neighbouring Syria. "The resistance is nobler and more important than anything, and should not get bogged down in the sands of dissension, whether in Syria or Lebanon," he said in a statement, referring to Hezbollah's traditional focus on fighting Israel. "The resistance has ...

UK fighter jets escort Pakistani plane after midair alert

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:18:53 -0400

Pakistan International Airlines flight bound for Manchester following a mid-air "security alert". Fighter jets have escorted the PIA aircraft from Manchester Airport to Stansted Airport, Sky News reported. There are understood to be 297 passengers on board. The plane was heading west towards Manchester when it was suddenly re-routed near York and headed back out to the North Sea, before ...

London killers had attacked an Indian-origin man mistaking him to be a soldier

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:18:52 -0400

The slain soldier Lee Rigby, of the British army's 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, is seen in an undated photo released on May 23, 2013. (Via ...

Germans blame eurozone crisis for Eurovision debacle

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:18:14 -0400

eurozone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and ...

PHL eyes working with USASEAN on genetically modifiedcrop...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:17:24 -0400

In his remarks during the agriculture and food security conference for the ASEAN diplomatic community in Washington DC, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. said the Philippines is willing to share the knowledge and experience it has obtained in the 10 years it has implemented its science-based regulatory system for products of modern biotechnology and also learn from the experiences of the US and ...

N Korean envoy meets China president state media

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:53:17 -0400

A North Korean envoy met China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing Friday and handed him a personal letter from leader Kim Jong-Un, Chinese state-run media ...

Huge blasts gunfire heard near Indian embassy in Kabul

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:50:24 -0400

NEW DELHI: Large explosions have been heard in Kabul on Friday followed by gunfire. Sources told Times Now that the explosions happened near the Indian embassy though the mission was not the target of the attack. AFP reported that gunfire erupted as security forces rushed to the scene of the blasts that took place around 4pm local time. "There has been explosion in an area which is close to ...

Barack Obama seeks end to perpetual U.S. war on terror

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:46:25 -0400

WASHINGTON - Twelve years after the "war on terror" began, President Barack Obama wants to pull the United States back from some of the most controversial aspects of its global fight against Islamist militants. In a major policy speech on Thursday, Obama narrowed the scope of the targeted-killing drone campaign against al-Qaida and its allies and took steps toward closing the ...

Asia Flash Singapore posts improved activity indicators

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:38:23 -0400

The Japanese stock market recovered somewhat today (+0.9%), after a 2-day roller-coaster ride that saw losses of -7.3% yesterday on worries of a possible QE exit by the Fed and a much weaker-than-expected outturn of China's HSBC Flash PMI for May. The volatility in Japanese equity and bond markets underscores risks of the BoJ's dramatic easing campaign and the importance that markets ...

Syrian regime to attend peace talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:23:24 -0400

BEIRUT: The Syrian government has agreed "in principle" to attend a conference proposed by Russia and the United States on ending the Arab country's conflict, Russia's foreign ministry said Friday. It was the first confirmation that President Bashar Assad's government would be willing to take part in the talks with the opposition. But despite the announcement from Moscow, ...

Stockholm riots continue schools set ablaze

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:23:19 -0400

STOCKHOLM: More than a dozen cars were torched and schools, shops and a police station were set ablaze as riots swept through Stockholm's immigrant-dominated suburbs for the fifth straight night, police and firefighters said Friday. Police plan to call in reinforcements to help quell the riots, but parents and volunteer organisations who have patrolled the streets in recent nights have ...

Large explosions gunfire in central Kabul

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:23:15 -0400

Pakistan US diplomat kills pedestrian in accident

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:49 -0400

ISLAMABAD — The U.S. Embassy says an American diplomat accidentally killed a pedestrian while driving in the Pakistani capital. The embassy said in a statement sent to reporters that the diplomat hit the pedestrian near a market in Islamabad on Friday. The pedestrian died as a result of his injuries. The embassy expresses regret for the accident and says it is cooperating with Pakistani ...

Explosion hits heart of Afghan capital

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:48:34 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An explosion has sent smoke rising over the heart of Afghanistan's capital. The strong blast was felt several kilometers (miles) ...

Ethnic Indian party in Malaysia faces new rival

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:30:13 -0400

KUALA LUMPUR: The entry of a hitherto shunned ethnic Hindu body into the folds of the prime minister's department has rattled Malaysia's largest Indian-origin political party. ...

Op-Ed Contributor Asian Tensions and the Problem of History

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:26:48 -0400

The political turmoil currently roiling Northeast Asia ...

Exiled cleric who taught UK soldiers killer praises courage

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:00:30 -0400

Lee Rigby on a London street praised the attack for its "courage" and said Muslims would see it as a strike on a military target. In an interview in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, where he has lived since being banished from Britain in ...

Asia goes on a debt binge as most of the world sobers up

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:55:21 -0400

In the heart of Kuala Lumpur lies the abandoned foundation of Plaza Rakyat, a never-built skyscraper and shopping mall. Rusty rebar jutting from concrete pilings and fetid green pools of rainwater serve as an unintended monument to the debt crisis that ravaged Asia in the late 1990s. Today, less than a half mile from the abandoned project, the next boom is under way in the Malaysian metropolis. ...

World stocks stabilize after big sell-off

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:53:33 -0400

MOSCOW (AP) -- World stocks stabilized on Friday, a day after global markets dropped sharply on concerns global growth is slowing and the Federal Reserve could start scaling back its monetary ...

STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-HSBC falls amid Asia worries stalling U.S. talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:38:59 -0400

* FTSEurofirst 300 down 0.5 pct, FTSE 100 down 0.7 pct* HSBC drags indexes on fears about U.S. case settlement* Selling pressure piles up as indexes test supportBy Francesco CanepaLONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - European shares edged lower ...

US lauds India for reducing Iranian oil imports

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:13:01 -0400

A senior official praised India for reducing oil imports from Iran and said the U.S. government will decide soon on New Delhi's request to renew a waiver from sanctions on ...

Suicide bomber kills 3 in northwest Pakistan

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:12:54 -0400

Police say a suicide bomber walked up to a vehicle owned by an Afghan religious leader in northwestern Pakistan and set off his explosives, killing three ...

Abe on 1st trip to Myanmar by Japan PM in 36 years

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:12:47 -0400

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is traveling to Myanmar on the first visit to the country by a Japanese leader in 36 years, as Tokyo bids to reassert its position as a top economic partner after decades of frosty relations with the previous military ...

Dai-ichi expands in Southeast Asia with Panin Life deal source

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:10:08 -0400

By Taiga Uranaka TOKYO | Fri May 24, 2013 7:10am EDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co Ltd (8750.T) has agreed to buy a 40 percent stake in Panin Life from the parent of the Indonesian insurer for around 30 billion yen ($295 million), a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. The stake acquisition by one of Japan's top four life insurers is the latest ...

Asia Goes on a Debt Binge as Much of World Sobers Up

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:02:35 -0400

Foreign preacher takes rare turn on Vietnam stage

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:18:36 -0400

The 25,000 people at the soccer stadium and the millions more watching at home waited 90 minutes before the Australian evangelical preacher got to the message he had come to Communist-ruled Vietnam to ...

UK soldiers killing Attacker wielding butcher knife is a Christian who converted to Islam

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:15:10 -0400

LONDON: A man seen with bloody hands wielding a butcher knife after the killing of a British soldier on the streets of London was described as a convert to Islam who took part in demonstrations with a banned radical group, ...

SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia Vietnam recover from previous sessions falls

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:09:43 -0400

JAKARTA, May 24 (Reuters) - Indonesian and Vietnamese shares rebounded from their previous session's steep falls, while most Southeast Asian markets were closed on Friday for a local holiday. Jakarta's Composite Index rose 0.66 percent to 5,155.09, boosted by a 2 percent jump in property shares. Vietnam's broader benchmark index closed up 0.4 percent as ...

No guarantee of peace NKorean envoy warns China

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:08:17 -0400

BEIJING (AP) -- China told a top North Korean envoy Friday it wants a peaceful, denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and said the emissary warned there is "no guarantee of peace" but that his country was willing to hold talks with all ...

2 former sex slaves demand Japan mayor quit

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:07:59 -0400

OSAKA, Japan (AP) -- Two Korean former sex slaves demanded the resignation of an outspoken Japanese mayor and canceled a meeting with him Friday for justifying Japan's wartime practice of forcing tens of thousands of Asian women into prostitution for its ...

London killers are Britons of Nigerian originBritain experienced a communal backlash against Muslims within 24 hours of a young serving soldier being butchered with stone age savagery in Woolwich by two radical British Nigerians who had chang

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:50:02 -0400

Woolwich by two radical British Nigerians who had changed from being "devout Christians to Muslims" recently. Mobs calling themselves English Defence League clashed with riot police after Wednesday's "terror attack" . Mosques in Woolwich, Braintree in Essex and Gillingham in Kent were attacked with bricks and bottles. Fearing such backlash could intensify and affect all ...

British Airways jet makes emergency landing at Heathrow airport after engine fire

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:49:41 -0400

Heathrow on Friday after a technical fault in an engine. "The BA762, Heathrow to Oslo service, returned back to Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault," BA parent company IAG said. ...

UPDATE 1-Morgan Stanley names Leleu Cheng in Asia ECM shakeup

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:23:32 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 5:23am EDT HONG KONG May 24 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley has named Jerome Leleu and Mille Cheng as co-heads of Asia Pacific equity capital markets in a shakeup of its management of that division, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters on Friday. The pair replace Justin Haik, who takes on a newly created senior client relationship role in the same unit, the memo ...

White House welcomes Burmese president as new ally in “pivot to Asia”

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:54 -0400

A meeting between US President Barack Obama and Burmese President Thein Sein in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday signalled Washington's embrace of the Burmese military-dominated government, as part of its efforts to strategically encircle China. Thein Sein is the first Burmese leader to be hosted in the White House since former junta leader General Ne Win's visit in 1966. ...

Weekend Plantings Downy Jasmine Asian Fruit Tree More

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:17:20 -0400

A plant so common that it often fades into the background is downy jasmine, a sprawling, viney shrub from East Asia. An evergreen species, downy jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum) bears small, starry, white flowers with a pleasing fragrance. Blossoms are produced year-round but peak in the warm months. Although this versatile, glossy-leaved plant can grow 10 feet tall in sun or light shade, it's ...

Business Briefs May 24

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:59 -0400

* The Securities Depository centre said that it has transferred the ownership of 389,057 shares of Long Hau JSC (LHG) from Ban Viet Securities Investment Fund to 21 investors on May 22. * PetroVietnam general Services Joint Stock Corp (PET) has sold 788,880 treasury shares as registered at an average price of ...

Asia Roundup US Fed and China news spook marts

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:07:58 -0400

Hawkish comments by United States Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and weakness in China’s factory activity rocked Asian markets yesterday,Thursday May 23 3013 taking the dollar to three-year highs, sending share markets lower, and hitting the Japanese government bond market as yields rose to their highest in a year. Stock and bond markets took their cue from the drop in US equities ...

Asia to be largest LTE market says Nokia Siemens Networks greater China head

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:04:50 -0400

Asia is expected to be the largest LTE market among regions around the world in 2015, Greater China president Markus Borchert for Nokia Siemens Networks said at the LTE Marketing Forum in Taipei on May ...

Morgan Stanley names new co-heads of Asia-Pacific ECM -memo

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:01:59 -0400

HONG KONG | Fri May 24, 2013 5:01am EDT HONG KONG May 24 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley has named Jerome Leleu and Mille Cheng as co-heads of equity capital markets in the Asia Pacific region, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters on Friday. The pair replace Justin Haik, who takes on a newly created senior client relationship role in the same division, the memo said. Leleu joined ...

Emergency landing closes both Heathrow runways

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:00:26 -0400

British Airways plane made an emergency landing. Heathrow officials said passengers were evacuated safely on Friday morning. British Airways says more information will be provided ...

Li still flying the Asian flag by herself

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:03:02 -0400

Paris – Li Na's momentous French Open title win of 2011 was expected to open the floodgates for Asian – and in particular Chinese – players in world ...

Asia Markets Japan stocks end up after roller-coaster ride

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:58:37 -0400

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japanese shares ended modestly higher Friday after a roller-coaster ride that subjected the Nikkei Stock Average to a swing of more than 3% on both sides of the previous day's ...

Magnitude 8.2 earthquake strikes Russian Far East off Kamchatka

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:17:21 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Russia's Far East in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kamchatka Peninsula, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicentre of the quake was located 244 miles west north west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy at a depth of 385 miles, the USGS said. (Writing by John ...

Police Suicidal jumpers fall kills SKorean girl

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:15:16 -0400

South Korea (AP) -- South Korean police say a suicidal man jumping to his death killed a 5-year-old girl by falling on her as she walked with her parents outside the apartment building. ...

Asian markets mixed in volatile trade

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:11:13 -0400

Asian markets were mixed Friday in rollercoaster trade after routs sparked in part by fears of tighter US monetary policy, with Tokyo ending higher a day after suffering its worst drop since the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster. Regional markets swung wildly after falling Thursday on indications from US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke that the Fed could soon start scaling back massive ...

Most Asian stock indexes are lower

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:05:55 -0400

The appetite for risk is neutral after improving in the US session on Thursday upon dissecting Wednesday's Federal Reserve reiteration of the likely scaling back its asset purchase program in June. All eyes are on Germany's Ifo report. But volatility persisted in the Nikkei 225. Most foreign currencies remain relatively firm after all reversed losses the day before. Most Asian stock ...

GLOBAL MARKET-Volatile Nikkei keeps Asian stocks on edge

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:55:09 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 3:45am EDT * Nikkei ends a seesaw day up 0.9 pct * Asian stocks outside Japan dip to 1-month lows * Yen rises vs USD and euro on turbulent Nikkei * European stocks expected to fare better By Ian Chua SYDNEY, May 24 (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell to one-month lows on Friday and the yen rebounded broadly as extreme volatility in the Nikkei kept investors on edge. The Nikkei has ...

US Boy Scouts to allow gay members

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:51:59 -0400

gay Scout leaders - a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect on January 1. "This has been a challenging ...

5 climbers feared dead on worlds 3rd highest peak

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:30:55 -0400

KATMANDU, Nepal — A Nepalese official says five climbers are missing and feared dead on the world's third highest mountain. The five disappeared Monday on Mount Kanchenjunga, and bad weather was preventing a rescue helicopter from reaching the base camp. Mountaineering Department official Dipendra Poudel said Friday the climbers were descending from the summit when they were believed ...

North Korea town opens to Western tourists Travel agents

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:26:14 -0400

BEIJING: North Korea's authorities have opened the border town of Sinuiju to Western tourists, Chinese-based travel agencies said, despite international tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear test in February. The move opens up the possibility of foreign tourists being able to make day tours to the secretive state, a considerably cheaper option than the more expensive multi-day trips ...

Asia’s Benchmark Equity Index Swings as Australia Banks Decline

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:20:56 -0400

stock index swung between gains and losses as Australian banks declined and the yen rose after Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the central bank had announced sufficient stimulus. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.2 percent to 138.42 as of 2:46 p.m. ...

Japans ANA to resume Boeing 787 flights on Sunday

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:19:13 -0400

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's All Nippon Airways, the launch customer for Boeing's 787 "Dreamliner," will resume commercial flights of the aircraft on Sunday, just over four months after the jets were grounded due to smoldering ...

Suspected Kashmiri rebels kill 3 Indian soldiers

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:19:12 -0400

SRINAGAR, India (AP) -- An official says suspected rebels have ambushed and fatally shot three Indian army soldiers in the Indian portion of ...

Highway bridge collapses in US no deaths reported

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:01:35 -0400

MOUNT VERNON , Washington: The major highway bridge linking Seattle with Canada and the rest of the Pacific Northwest region collapsed Thursday evening, dumping at least a handful of vehicles and people into a river, ...

Oil falls below $94 on weak outlook for demand

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:59:57 -0400

Benchmark oil for July delivery was down 40 cents to $93.85 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile ...

Comfort women cancel meeting with Japan mayor

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:38:40 -0400

Two South Korean women forcibly drafted into Japanese military brothels during World War II have cancelled a meeting with a Japanese mayor who sparked outrage by calling them a wartime ...

Barack Obama in heated exchanges with Code Pink anti-war protester

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:04 -0400

WASHINGTON: The woman who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday is well-known around Washington as a perennial protester on national security ...

Obama lifts ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:03 -0400

Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen , a step toward his goal of closing the US military-run prison that he said "has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law." Nearly 100 of the 166 terrorist suspects held at the prison in Cuba are from Yemen and have had nowhere to go even if they had been cleared for transfer. Obama wouldn't send them home, and no ...

New concerns for Chinas rising middle class

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:18:59 -0400

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 Beijing 20 years ago from Shandong, a coastal province. Then, she cycled for hours from a shared dormitory to ...

China End Violence Against Sex Workers

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:13:27 -0400

In China, the police often act as if by engaging in sex work, women had forfeited their rights. The government must abandon its repressive laws against sex workers, discipline abusive police, and end the suppression of sex workers rights ...

Yen weakens in Asian trade

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:23:17 -0400

TOKYO–The yen weakened against other major currencies in Asian morning trade on Friday as risk sentiment improved, with Tokyo stocks bouncing back following the previous day’s seven-percent plunge. The dollar rose to 102.33 yen in Tokyo from 101.82 yen in New York late Thursday as the benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange jumped over three three percent in early ...

US kidnap case hero gets burgers for lifeThe man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown.

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:14:54 -0400

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the restaurant where Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a special burger in his honor, but eateries in the city decided a larger tribute was ...

Willing to start talks North Korea saysHowever that prospect seems unlikely as North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons while the United States insists North Korea must take meaningful steps on denuclearization before there ca

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:14:54 -0400

BEIJING: North Korea is willing to take China's advice and enter into talks, Chinese state television cited an envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying, following weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula after the North's latest nuclear test. However, that prospect seems unlikely as North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons while the United States ...

Taliban influence in Afghanistan to grow Russian intelligence agency

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:14:43 -0400

the situation in Afghanistan poses a "serious challenge to international stability" and that the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2014 could increase the threat of terrorism and religious extremism. "A diversified terrorist network, including suicide bomber training camps has already been established in the country and the Taliban has close links ...

Asia stock markets edge up after big sell-off

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:54:07 -0400

Asian stock markets staged a mild recovery Friday, a day after being routed by unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing and fears the Federal Reserve will start withdrawing its monetary ...

Barack Obama says US faces real threat from radicalised individuals

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:39:37 -0400

Washington: Citing Wisconsin Gurdwara shootout last year that killed six Sikh worshippers, the US President Barack Obama, has expressed concern over increasing instances of acts of violence inside the country by home-grown terrorists."We face a real threat from radicalised individuals here in the United States. Whether it's a shooter at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, a plane flying into a ...

Chinese PM singles out Germany for EU visit

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:39:31 -0400

JavaScript Tag // Tag for network 870: Expatica // Website: Expatica NL // Page: General // Placement: General-1-175 x 60 (3091233) // created at: Apr 28, 2011 6:01:02 ...

China threatens to end the military rule of the U.S. in Asia

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:19:03 -0400

In mid-April, the Chinese government said the increased U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region causes a lot of tension, and they plan to send more military forces and strengthen their partnerships with neighboring countries. A recent study found that China increasingly threatens to end the military supremacy of the ...

Barred from poll ex-president Rafsanjani calls Iranian leaders ignorant

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:13 -0400

Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since ...

ASIA MARKETS Japan Stocks Recover Modestly After Steep Sell-off

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:42:53 -0400

HONG KONG – Japanese stocks jumped Friday to stage a modest recovery, with relief buying emerging after the extreme losses they suffered the previous day, amid expectations that the rally that began late last year may have further to go.The Nikkei Stock Average climbed 3% after diving 7.3% in the previous session, while the broader Topix advanced 2.6% after Thursday's 6.9% ...

Soldier accused of filming female cadets in shower

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:28:16 -0400

WASHINGTON: A sergeant first class on the staff of the United States Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets without their consent, sometimes when they were undressed in the bathroom or the shower, according to army officials. The army is contacting about a dozen women to alert them that their privacy may have been violated by the suspect, identified as Sgt. ...

89-yr-old chronicler of Everest completes 50 years of mountain record-keeping

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:28:13 -0400

American expedition to the Everest . That set off what was to become one of the most unique pursuits in mountaineering history. Hawley has since then met every single expedition that has come to climb not just Mount Everest but the rest of Nepal's mountain peaks. In fact no team goes for its summit without meeting her. As the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of ...

Phurba Tashi climbs Everest for 21st time equals record

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:28:12 -0400

Mount Everest on Thursday with Phurba Tashi Sherpa reaching the top of the mountain for the 21st time, equalling the record set by another Nepalese, Apa Sherpa, in 2011. Earlier in the day, 80-year-old ...

Human safaris Blow to Andamans

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:28:11 -0400

Survival International's call for a tourism boycott of the islands until 'human safaris' are stopped. The organization is asking nearly 200,000 tourists who visiting the islands every year to stay away - until tourists are banned from the road through the Jarawa forest and an alternative sea route set. Survival's director Stephen Corry said on Thursday, "In ...

Plus Three Boost For Asean Youth

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:05 -0400

Bandar Seri Begawan - China, Korea and japan, Asean's Plus Three partners are ready to provide continued support and cooperation to the Mean Youth Programme and have came up with new initiatives to give more opportunities for youths in Asean and Plus Three partners to interact as well as cooperate among thethselves while acquiring technical know-how. The close bond of friendship within ...

Royal Audience To Asean Delegates

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:05 -0400

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday afternoon consented to receive in audience Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Heads of Delegate who are currently in Brunei Darussalam attending the 8th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Youth and the 4th Asean Plus Three Ministerial Meeting on Youth. Also present at the ceremony was His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee ...

Youths Play Vital Role In Building An Asean Of Tomorrow

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:04 -0400

Asean Ministerial Meeting on Youths (AMMY VIII) concluded on Tuesday as the ministers recognised that young professionals are in a unique position to boost Asean solidarity by offering voluntary community services in areas such as rural development, disaster relief, health, education and the environment as well as supporting vulnerable groups, including people who are differently-abled whilst ...

Youths Hold ‘Key’ To Aseans Future

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:04 -0400

AMMY+3) in Brunei Darussalam concluded yesterday with the release of joint ministerial statement agreed by attending officials from Asean members countries including their Plus Three partners China, Japan and Korea. The joint statement stated that ministers exchanged views on youth cooperation between Asean and the Plus Three nation whilst further exploring possibilities to strengthen ...

Sultan Meets Foreign Delegates Participating In Asean Ministerial Meeting On Youth

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:03 -0400

Bandar Seri Begawan - His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday afternoon consented to receive in audience, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Heads of Delegate who are currently in Brunei Darussalam attending the 8th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY) and the 4th Asean+3 Ministerial Meeting on Youth. Also present at the ceremony was His Royal Highness Prince ...

Victim was Manchester United fan father of 2-yr-old kid

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:18 -0400

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers . Father of two-year-old Jack, Britain's ministry of defence called him "a real character, always smiling". Drummer Rigby, 'Riggers' to his friends, was born in July 1987 in Crumpsall, Manchester, and was a ...

UK mosques attacked in backlash of Woolwich beheading

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:17 -0400

LONDON: Britain experienced a communal backlash against Muslims within 24 hours of a young, serving soldier being butchered with "stone age savagery" ...

China doesnt rule out investing in POK

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:08 -0400

Pakistan Occupied Kashmir would not go up merely out of respect for Indian sensibilities. The signal came from the Chinese foreign ministry in midst of premier Li Keqiang's visit to Pakistan after spending three days in India. "It's for India and Pakistan to sort out their differences concerning Kashmir," the foreign ministry spokesman said in reply to specific questions about ...

Asia Stocks Rise as Japanese Shares Rebound From Slump

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:52:52 -0400

stocks rose, as Japanese shares rebounded from the biggest drop since 2011 that yesterday erased $314 billion of the country's shares, amid optimism growth in ...

Asean Ministers Endorse Brunei Proposal

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:44:59 -0400

Bandar Seri Begawan - Asean Ministers have endorsed a Brunei proposal to engage young professionals through a youth volunteer corps that will complement the Asean Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) through implementation of three initial short-term projects scheduled to be carried out in Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines this year. The youth volunteer corps will be implemented before the ...

GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks shaky Nikkei still seen vulnerable

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:29:33 -0400

Fri May 24, 2013 12:22am EDT * Nikkei down 0.6 pct, erases earlier gains * Asian stocks outside Japan dip to 1-month lows * Yen rises vs USD and euro as Nikkei trims gains By Ian Chua SYDNEY, May 24 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks turned negative on Friday and the yen reversed early losses, keeping intact worries that the Nikkei's largest one-day drop in two years may be the start of a bigger ...

China Power Producers Fall on Import Concern HK Mover

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:14 -0400

Huaneng Power International Inc. (902) led declines at China’s electricity producers amid speculation the price for coal-fired power may be cut and concern a reported coal import ban may raise costs. Huaneng Power, the nation’s biggest producer, dropped 8.3 percent, the most since November 6, 2008, to close at HK$7.94 today in Hong Kong. The stock has shed 18 percent in the past ...

HK Police Make Fourth Arrest in Exchange Probe

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:13 -0400

Hong Kong police arrested a fourth man in its probe of Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange Ltd, widening a case begun by the Securities and Futures Commission for suspected irregularities in financial affairs. Police arrested a 60-year-old man yesterday, identified only by his surname Zhu, on suspicion of possession of false instruments, according to the Police Public Relations Branch. Three others ...

NBI off to Taiwan for shooting probe

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:12 -0400

It’s now the turn of Philippine investigators to go to Taiwan to gather evidence for their probe on the fatal shooting of a suspected Taiwanese poacher last May 9, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday. De Lima said Taipei has allowed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to get statements from the companions of slain fisherman Hung Shih-cheng as well as to examine their ...

Taiwan’s UMC sets up RD centre in Singapore

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:11 -0400

Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a leading microchip maker, Wednesday said it has spent $110 million setting up a research and development unit in Singapore. The unit will undertake R&D collaborations with local research institutes, such as Singapore’s Institute of Microelectronics, the company said in a statement. UMC is the world’s third biggest ...

Korea’s First Cargo Airline Plans China Route Chasing Samsung

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:09 -0400

Air Incheon Co., South Korea’s first cargo-only airline, plans to start services this year to smaller cities in China, where Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) and Apple Inc. (AAPL) assemblers are increasingly locating their factories. Air Incheon expects to receive its second leased aircraft in August and that will facilitate the China service, vice President Kim Gyu Hyeong said in an ...

N. Korea ‘special envoy’ in China meeting

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:08 -0400

A top North Korean general and confidant of leader Kim Jong-Un met a senior Chinese official in Beijing Wednesday, with relations between the allies strained ahead of a China-US summit. Choe Ryong-Hae, director of the Korean People’s Army politburo, is a ';special envoy'; of the North’s young leader, Pyongyang’s official news agency said. He met Wang Jiarui, head ...

China Pakistan plan ‘economic corridor’ Li

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:06 -0400

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday linked growth in his country’s restive west with that in sluggish Pakistan, saying the two sides wanted to create an ';economic corridor'; to boost development. Li, on his first overseas trip since taking over in a once-in-a-decade power transfer in Beijing, congratulated Pakistan on its recent general election and hailed the countries’ ...

US ‘should act’ on China intellectual property theft

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:04 -0400

The United States should consider curbs on Chinese investment or even offensive operations against hackers to address the growing toll from intellectual property theft, a report said. The 11-month study led by high-ranking former US officials said that theft of software and other US-developed products was costing the American economy more than $300 billion each year – as much as the ...

Philippines and China Conflict and cooperation

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:03 -0400

Public attention has understandably been focused on the 2013 midterm elections. However recent events serve to remind us that Philippine-China relations will continue to be a major issue for policy makers and the consequences of these policy decisions will have an impact on the daily lives of Filipinos. First, there was the completion of the composition of the UN Arbitration panel which will ...

With eye on China Japan to provide patrol boats to Philippines

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:02 -0400

Japan will provide patrol boats to the Philippines to help the country bolster its capabilities in the face of China’s growing presence in regional waters. In a meeting in Tokyo on May 22, Foreign minister Fumio Kishida and his counterpart Albert del Rosario agreed to work together to improve the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard. Kishida said Japan will make arrangements for ...

China’s Lenovo buys and diversifies to outshine PC rivals

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:01 -0400

Lenovo Group Ltd’s bold acquisitions in its flagship PC business, a foray into mobile gadgets, and a relatively light debt load are setting it apart from PC rivals as industry shipments take their steepest fall in decades. Lenovo, a sliver away from unseating Hewlett-Packard Co as the world’s top PC maker by shipments, is expected on Thursday to post a two-thirds rise in quarterly ...

Farmers plant rice near crippled Fukushima site

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:59 -0400

Farmers have resumed planting rice for market only 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, a local official said Wednesday. It was the first time since the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster that farmers have gone inside the former 20-kilometre ';no-go'; zone around the doomed plant to sow rice intended for sale. ...

Cheaper yen attracts record visitors to Japan

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:59 -0400

A record 923,000 foreigners travelled to Japan in April, up 18.1 percent from a year earlier, taking advantage of a weaker yen and an increase in chartered flights, a government agency said Wednesday. The previous monthly high was 879,000 in July 2010, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said. Tourism has rebounded since 2011, when visitor numbers plunged following the massive earthquake ...

Japan Cites Active Fault at a Reactor

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:58 -0400

Japan’s nuclear watchdog on Wednesday endorsed a conclusion by a panel of seismologists that a fault under a reactor at an atomic plant in western Japan is active, potentially blocking a restart of the reactor. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said it agreed with the panel that the fault underneath the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor could set off an earthquake and cause an accident. Japanese ...

Singapore Economy Unexpectedly Expanded on Services Growth

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:56 -0400

Singapore’s economy unexpectedly expanded last quarter as services and construction strengthened, reducing pressure on the central bank to ease monetary policy to boost growth. Gross domestic product rose an annualised 1.8 percent in the three months through March from the previous quarter, when it grew 3.3 percent, the trade ministry said in a statement today. That compares with an April ...

Japan’s wartime brothels were wrong says 91-year-old veteran

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:56 -0400

When Masayoshi Matsumoto joined the Japanese army in 1943 and was sent to occupied China as a medic, he thought he was taking part in a righteous war to free Asia from the yoke of Western imperialism. Seven decades later, the 91-year-old retired Christian pastor says it’s his mission to speak out about the injustice of the war and the sufferings of women, mostly Asian and many Korean, ...

Singapore Says It’s Regretful Todd Family Quit Coroner’s Inquest

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:54:54 -0400

Singapore Foreign Affairs and Law minister K. Shanmugam said it was regretful that the family of US research engineer Shane Todd pulled out from a coroner’s inquest yesterday. The Todd family quit the inquest, opened by Singapore to determine how the 31-year-old died in June, after walking out of the courtroom on May 21. Edward Adelstein, a medical examiner engaged by the family, ...

Improving Chinese brand awareness in ASEAN markets

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:51:15 -0400

Experts say negative opinions of quality pose 'big obstacle' for exports to major trading partner China is to strengthen its efforts at improving brand awareness in Association of Southeast Asian Nations markets, a region now considered the country's third-largest trading partner. "Despite strong bilateral trade ties, some Chinese goods are still regarded as fake or of poor ...

US markets fail to follow Asian share slide

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:48:15 -0400

United States Global markets fell sharply on concerns about Chinese and European growth, but Wall Street failed to follow.The Dow Jones ended down just 13 points to 15,295 and the S&P 500 lost 0.3 per cent to 1,650.The falls were relatively small compared to Asian markets yesterday.Japan's Nikkei led the way down, dropping 7 per cent after a leading report by HSBC showed Chinese ...

Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:47:14 -0400

after a premiere that saw two teams competing to sell fish in their first challenge. The show, which made its debut Wednesday on AXN, saw the 12 contestants being split into two groups of men and women in the first challenge to sell fish at a local market here. Both teams made losses in their sales but the men's group, Team Mavericks incurred a bigger loss. Hence, one of its members had to ...

Burma Japanese Leader’s Visit Should Highlight Rights

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:23:31 -0400

As Burma’s biggest aid donor and a major investor, Japan can play a critical role by pressing harder for human rights reforms and protections. Aid and investment in Burma should not ignore needed reforms in the rule of law, transparency, and ...

7.4 magnitude quake strikes southwest of Tonga—USGS

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:42:23 -0400

SYDNEY--A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck 255 kilometres (158 miles) southwest of Tonga early Friday, according to the US Geological Survey. The under-sea quake struck at 5:19 a.m. (1719 GMT Thursday) and sparked a tsunami alert, although no damage was expected due to its depth of 171 kilometers, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The earthquake, centred 282 kilometers southwest ...

Asia Now Resources Corp. Announces Changes to Board of Directors

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:29:15 -0400

") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Wenjin Yang to the board of directors of the Company. Dr. Wenjin Yang is Chief Financial Officer and Director of Yunnan Dong Xin Mineral Exploration Company Limited and Yunnan Now Mineral Exploration Company Limited, being Asia Now's two joint venture companies in China, since March 2011. He also has responsibility for setting up the ...

4 US citizens killed in drone strikesThe Obama administration acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009.

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:08:20 -0400

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by ...

Obama Rejects Perpetual War But Questions Remain About Targeted Killings

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:37:06 -0400

President Obama gave a major speech in Washington today on US counterterrorism policy. The speech contained a number of significant announcements, including notice that the administration would resume releases of Guantanamo prisoners "recommended for transfer" to other countries and a pledge to clarify the process and improve transparency with respect to the use of unmanned ...

Microsoft expands Windows Azure in Asia Pacific

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:13:02 -0400

Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times technology reporter Janet I. ...

Dominican Republic Latin American leader in Asia trade

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:11:15 -0400

Miami.-The Dominican Republic is among Latin America's fastest growing trade partners of China and South Korea, according to an analysis by online publication Latinvex based on figures from the International Monetary Fund and the Korean government. Dominican Republic exports to China last year grew 40.8 percent to $411 million. That was the fifth-highest increase in Latin America. Total ...

Trip strengthens ties with South Asian partner

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:10:19 -0400

Li Keqiang in the South Asian nation. On Thursday, the premier wrapped up his two-day official visit in Pakistan, the second stop of his nine-day journey abroad. The two sides vowed to deepen strategic ties in spite of the global situation, signing a joint declaration and a number of accords and memorandums of understanding, including one for establishing an "economic corridor". As ...

CNOOC completes Asias biggest deepsea platform

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:10:15 -0400

/enpproperty--> China National Offshore Oil Corp -- the country's largest offshore oil producer -- said on Thursday it has completed construction of Asia's biggest deepwater platform in the South China Sea, marking a breakthrough for the company. The project, known as the Liwan 3-1 natural gas central offshore platform, will have an annual processing capacity of 12 billion cubic ...

‘Asian fit’ menswear by way of Savile Row

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:58:27 -0400

BRITISH Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie (right) and Cowdery cut the ribbon formally opening T.M. Lewin’s SM Aura store. PHOTOS BY RICHARD REYES If T.M. Lewin had expanded in the Philippines four years ago, the respected British men's shirting brand would have probably raised not a few eyebrows back in London. But that has changed, as the brand, which was founded way back ...

Punk meets history in first Chanel show in Asia

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:58:27 -0400

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld's Cruise 2014 collection mixed the wide pants and hobble maxi skirts that Coco Chanel wore 100 years ago in her first hat shop in Deauville, France. The relaxed long cardigans in knits and the tailored blazers were inspired by Lagerfeld's short black-and-white film about Chanel, entitled "Once Upon a Time" and starring Kiera Knightley. Balancing this ...

Heckler diverts Barack Obama in terror policy speech

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:57:41 -0400

Washington: An anti-war heckler repeatedly interrupted President Barack Obama in a major speech on reframing US counter-terrorism policy Thursday, prompting him to depart from his prepared remarks."The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to -- obviously I don't agree with much of what she said," Obama said, after repeatedly asking the woman to sit down."She ...

Indian doctor in UK gets 12 years in jail for raping and filming patients with camera inside his watch

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:38:02 -0400

Royal Wootton Bassett used a secret camera inside his wristwatch to record himself abusing female patients. Detectives investigating likened the timepiece to that in a James Bond ...

Snapple co-founder Leonard Marsh dies at 80

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:08 -0400

Leonard Marsh - the co-founder of the Snapple beverage brand - has died at age 80.Snapple was founded in New York as Unadulterated Food Products in 1972, selling natural fruit juices to health food stores. Marsh started the business with his brother-in-law Hyman Golden and his childhood friend Arnold Greenberg. The now well-known brand name didn't appear until 1980.Marsh was a window washer ...

Yen makes up some lost ground in Asia trade after recent plunges

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:21 -0400

TOKYO--The yen jumped against the dollar in Asia Thursday as investors adjusted positions after the recent fast-paced decline in the value of the Japanese ...

Britain names soldier killed in London by suspected Islamists

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:20:20 -0400

Manchester United fan and a drummer in the military band, he had also served in Germany and Cyprus but was at the time of his death working in London. "An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers," said a statement from the ministry of defence. ...

London attackers were Britons of Nigerian origin Report

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:20:19 -0400

LONDON: British authorities believe that two men accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street in revenge for wars in Muslim countries are British of Nigerian descent, a source close to the investigation said on Thursday. Local media named one of the two suspects as British-born, 28-year-old ...

Exchange rates and inflation hit Asian expats in the Emirates

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:49:04 -0400

Currency appreciation back home is hitting Asian expatriates hard on their pockets. Above, a daily scene at a currency exchange in the UAE. Jeffrey E Biteng / The ...

Philippine bracing for more cancellations from Taiwanese travel agencies

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:35:10 -0400

The Philippine tourism industry is bracing itself for the worst following the suspension and cancellation of many trips by Taiwanese travel ...

Home-build lure for Asian migrants

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:10 -0400

Asian business migrants looking at moving to New Zealand are being urged to invest in real estate to secure their residency. Migration seminars are being conducted in nations such as Singapore and Malaysia aimed at people willing to put upwards of $1.5 million into new residential property developments. One seminar, held in Sabah, Malaysia, last weekend was advertised as "Invest in New Zealand: ...

IMF chief grilled in Paris court over 2007 payout scandal

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:12:05 -0400

View Photo International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde arrives at the French Republic Justice Court in Paris on May 23, 2013. French prosecutors were grilling Lagarde on Thursday to decide if she should be charged over a state payout to a disgraced tycoon during her time as finance ...

More From Rest of World

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:03:54 -0400

Authorities unlawfully approve banned drugs, go scot-free Drugs banned in other parts of the world continue to be sold in India, despite parliamentary committee seeking their withdrawal from ...

More From Mad Mad World

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:03:49 -0400

Authorities unlawfully approve banned drugs, go scot-free Drugs banned in other parts of the world continue to be sold in India, despite parliamentary committee seeking their withdrawal from ...

Maersk to Hike Rates in Asia-Caribbean Trade

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:24:14 -0400

From Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan to Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Colombia and Puerto Rico, the hike will be $980 per 20-foot container and $1,400 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube ...

High-priced necklace stolen in second Cannes theft jeweller

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:18:58 -0400

Thieves have made off with a high-priced necklace made by Switzerland's De Grisogono in the second jewellery theft at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the company said on ...

Asian Queer Film Festival to feature works from South Korea Cambodia - The Japan Times

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:08:54 -0400

Fix for Off-canvas flickr --> This site is optimized with the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin v1.4.3 - http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/ ...

Thousands mourn literary giant Achebe at hometown funeral

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:48:30 -0400

hometown funeral of the man regarded as the father of modern African literature, best known for his seminal novel "Things Fall Apart." An overflow crowd outside the church where the funeral service was held gathered under tents or in the streets, where they stood atop cars to watch on two giant screens. Heavy security was in place throughout the small southeastern town of Ogidi, with ...

At least 18 soldiers killed in gunbattle in Niger Military sources

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:48:28 -0400

military sources and a local official said. "There are 18 soldiers and four attackers dead in Agadez," said one source. "One of the attackers has taken two or three soldiers hostage and is holed up in a house. We have him ...

Market Snapshot U.S. stocks drop hit by Fed Asian selloff

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:12:01 -0400

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks dropped in Thursday morning trade after Japanese equities dived overnight, as global markets reacted to weak Chinese manufacturing data and worries about the Federal Reserve's potential tapering of its bond-buying ...

Death toll in China blast rises to 33 Xinhua

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:05:23 -0400

The death toll from a blast at an explosives plant in eastern China earlier this week rose to 33 Thursday as 20 missing people were declared dead, state media ...

Malaysian activist charged with sedition 3 others held

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:05:22 -0400

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court on Thursday charged a student activist with sedition and police arrested three others, including two opposition politicians, in what critics decried as a crackdown on ...

Paragua topples Sadorra wrests Asian Chess lead

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:01:38 -0400

Standings after Round 5: (Open) 4.5 points--GM Mark Paragua (PH); 4.0--GM Julio Catalino Sadorra (PH), GM Le Quang Liem (Viet), GM John Paul Gomez (PH), GM Richard Bitoon (PH), GM Li Chao (Chn); (Women's) 4.0 points--IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (Mgl), WGM Mary Ann Gomes (Ind), WGM Guo Qi (Chn), WGM Wang Jue (Chn); 3.5--WGM Huang Qian (CHn), WGM Nafisa Muminova (Uzb), IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen ...

London attackers known to British security services

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:49:26 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - Two British men of Nigerian descent accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street in revenge for wars in Muslim countries were known to security services, a source close to the investigation said ...

Indonesia Tom Lantos Commission Hearing Testimony

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:39:09 -0400

"Human Rights in Indonesia" Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for inviting me to testify today, and thank the committee for focusing on Indonesia’s human rights record, which too often today does not receive the attention it deserves. Indonesia has seen enormous changes over the last 15 years. Human Rights Watch is aware of the general and widespread improvements that have ...

Man killed by FBI links Tsarnaev to triple murder Report

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:36:16 -0400

Ibragim Todashev attacked the FBI agent with a knife just as he was about to sign a confession that he had played a role in the triple murder, local media cited investigators as ...

Asian European Stocks Plunge on Weak Chinese Factory Data

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:07:40 -0400

Japan's Nikkei stock index tumbled 7.3 percent after release of the report showing Chinese factory production dropped in May for the first time in seven months. It was the biggest one-day loss since Japan's March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt followed suit, dropping about 2 percent. U.S. future indexes fell ahead of the opening of ...

Malaysian Student Charged with Sedition 2 Others Arrested

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:07:39 -0400

Malaysian authorities have charged a student activist with sedition and have detained two others, including an opposition politician, on similar charges after their involvement in a campaign to challenge what they say are fraudulent election results. Prosecutors Thursday charged Adam Adli under the country's controversial Sedition Act for allegedly telling a political forum that ...

Confusion reigns after Asian market meltdown

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:04:58 -0400

Overnight Asian markets were a complete and utter mess and while a seven per cent correction in the Nikkei may be par for the course after an 80 per cent rally, the reasons behind the sell-off have significant implications for Canadian ...

Indian-origin British MPs condemn UK terror attack

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:49:18 -0400

British MPs on Thursday condemned the "horrific and barbaric" attack here in which a British soldier was beheaded, calling for unity and appealing for calm. Indian-origin MP and chairman of the influential home affairs select ...

US man held after pocket-dialing 911 while plotting murder

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:49:14 -0400

Scott Simon mistakenly pocket-dialed 911 as he planned a killing earlier in May 2013, enabling an emergency dispatch system to record his conversation and link him to the ...

Dhaka building collapse probe finds many failings

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:49:09 -0400

Sohel Rana also "used extremely poor quality iron rods and cement," Ahmed told The Associated Press on Thursday. "There were a series of irregularities." The report found that Rana had permission to build a six-story structure and added two floors illegally so he could rent them out to garment factories. Past statements from authorities said the owner had permission for a ...