ASIA NEWS

Karzai, Taliban Condemn Desecration; Military Questions Pair of Marines

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:17:00 -0500

Pentagon officials went to lengths Thursday to avert damage to the U.S. war effort from a video that shows a group of Marines urinating on militants' corpses.

Cashless Society: India Implements First Biometric ID Program for all of its 1.2 Billion Residents

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:17:00 -0500

Recently, India has launched a nationwide program involving the allocation of a Unique Identification Number (UID) to every single one of its 1.2 billion residents. Each of the numbers will be tied to the biometric data of the recipient using three different forms of information – fingerprints, iris scans, and pictures of the face. All ten digits of the hand will be recorded, and both eyes will be scanned.

Hundreds Threaten Suicide At Foxconn Plant In China

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:21:00 -0500

Some 300 Chinese Foxconn employees who manufacture X-box 360 machines said they would throw themselves from their Wuhan, China, plant if demands for lost wages were not met.

Myanmar army chief visits Thailand, Dawei project in focus

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:24:00 -0500

Myanmar's army chief held a rare meeting with Thailand's defence minister on Monday, when they discussed the opening of new border checkpoints close to a planned multi-billion dollar industrial zone in Dawei.

Cambodia Seeks Legal Status for Workers in Thailand

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:04:00 -0500

Cambodia has asked Thailand to legalized around 160,000 migrant workers, following senior-level meetings last week that have repaired some of the diplomatic damage done by a long military stand-off on the border.

Cambodia, Thailand agree to build Stung Num hydropower dam

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:37:00 -0500

Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to jointly build the Stung Num hydropower dam in Koh Kong, adjacent to Thailand's Trat province,The Bangkok Post said, citing Thai Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan.

Burma releases 32 political prisoners in amnesty

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:55:00 -0500

Burma's military-backed government has released at least 32 political prisoners, as part of a regular amnesty to mark independence celebrations.

Thailand backs Aung San Suu Kyi in landmark Burma talks

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:52:00 -0500

Thailand's premier Yingluck Shinawatra offered Aung San Suu Kyi her support in a coming by-election during a historic meeting with the Burmese democracy leader, a Thai official has said.

Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from around disputed temple

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:47:00 -0500

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to withdraw their troops from the area surrounding a disputed border temple, the official Thai news agency MCOT reported.

Secret U.S., Taliban talks reach turning point

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:54:00 -0500

After 10 months of secret dialogue with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, senior U.S. officials say the talks have reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough is possible, leading to peace talks whose ultimate goal is to end the Afghan war.

"Batman" star roughed up in bid to visit Chinese blind activist

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:13:00 -0500

Hollywood actor Christian Bale was roughed up by Chinese security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry, CNN reported on Friday.

Four-nation patrol succeeds in 1st escort mission over Mekong

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:52:00 -0500

Three Chinese armed police vessels returned safely to their home port of Guanleigang, in southwest China's Yunnan province, ending the first mission in newly established joint patrols to escort vessels passing along the international Mekong River.

Singapore Set To Deepen Bilateral Ties With Thailand, Says Hsien Loong

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:54:00 -0500

Singapore looks forward to deepening its political, economic and cultural ties with Thailand, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Chinese madam who ran prostitution racket executed by lethal injection

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:26:00 -0500

A madam who forced hundreds of women into prostitution has been executed in China.Wang Ziqi was sentenced to death for luring young women to work in brothels which were disguised as tea houses, beauty salons or hotels.

Japanese cities most costly for Asia expats: survey

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:53:00 -0500

Expatriates in Japan have the highest living expenses compared to their counterparts working elsewhere in Asia, due largely to the Japanese currency's recent sharp rise, a global survey said Tuesday.

China's Hu urges navy to prepare for combat

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:45:00 -0500

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday urged the navy to prepare for military combat, amid growing regional tensions over maritime disputes and a US campaign to assert itself as a Pacific power.

North Korea making missile able to hit U.S.

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:45:00 -0500

New intelligence indicates that North Korea is moving ahead with building its first road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, an easily hidden weapon capable of hitting the United States, according to Obama administration officials.

Taiwan spy agency denies 'magnetic' attack

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:45:00 -0500

Taiwan's intelligence agency on Tuesday flatly rejected allegations that it had launched "electromagnetic wave" attacks against the running mate of an opposition presidential candidate.

Hillary Clinton Urges Syria To Break Free From 'Dictator'

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:44:00 -0500

Hillary Clinton has urged the Syrian opposition to build a society that is free of the "whims of a dictator". The US Secretary of State spoke after meeting six members of the Syrian National Council, an exile group seeking to end the 41-year rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his late father.

Mekong nations to meet on controversial Laos dam

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:51:00 -0500

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam hold high-level talks on Thursday to decide whether to approve a controversial proposed dam on the Mekong River fiercely opposed by environmentalists.