Latest Asia Pacific News
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Hezbollah Fighters Pose New Threat In Syria
WASHINGTON -- The civil war in Syria is taking a new, and possibly ominous turn, in the battle for Qusair, a small but strategic town near the frontier with Lebanon. For the first time, the mainly Sunni Muslim rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been fighting Syrian troops backed by a large contingent of battle-hardened guerrillas from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese ...
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Japans Daiichi says key details concealed in Ranbaxy sale
NEW DELHI (AFP) - The Japanese owners of Ranbaxy on Wednesday accused former shareholders of the Indian company of concealing key information about a US probe into the safety of medicines made by the New Delhi-based firm.Last week, Ranbaxy Laboratories pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of making and distributing adulterated drugs at its two Indian plants of Paonta Sahib and Dewas ...
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UN refugee agency faults Australias tough new policy
GENEVA (AFP) - The UN refugee agency took Australia to task Wednesday over a tough new policy that allows boat people who reach its mainland to be sent to remote Nauru or Papua New Guinea for detention while their asylum claims are processed.The so-called "excision" rules, passed last week, extend previous legislation which only allowed the authorities to send boat people for detention ...
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Goldman Sachs edges out HSBC in the China bank race
A Goldman Sachs sign is seen over the company's trading stall on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, in this March 21, 2013, file photo. (Brendan ...
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Pricing talks fail in China-EU solar trade spat
Europe an Union (EU) by agreeing on the export price of the products have failed, Chinese trade body sources involved in the talks said on Wednesday. China and the EU had agreed that talks on such "price undertaking" would be held between representatives of the Chinese solar ...
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Chinas nature reserves exceed global average
/enpproperty--> The size of nature reserves in China reached almost 15 percent of the country's total land area by the end of 2012, exceeding the global average of 12 percent. Li Ganjie, vice-minister of environmental protection, announced the figure at a celebration of the 2013 International Day for Biological Diversity on ...
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Li China Pakistan to be good brothers forever
/enpproperty--> ISLAMABAD - China and Pakistan will always be good partners and brothers that are reliable and sincere to each other, visiting ...
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Yen eases after Japans worst April trade deficit
TOKYO--The yen edged down against the dollar and euro in Asia on Wednesday after Japan posted its worst ever April trade deficit, fueling yen-negative ...
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Pakistans Imran Khan leaves hospital for homePakistani politician Imran Khan left hospital Wednesday two weeks after breaking bones in his back in a fall at an election rally a hospital spokesman said.
Imran Khan left hospital on Wednesday, two weeks after breaking bones in his back in a fall at an election rally, a hospital spokesman said. The 60-year-old was ordered to remain immobile in bed after he fractured vertebrae and a rib in a dramatic tumble just days before the May 11 general election, where his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party made a major breakthrough. Khwaja Nazir, a ...
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Soldier beheaded in suspected terror attack in London
LONDON: In a shocking incident, a soldier aged around 20 years and wearing a T-shirt that read "Help for Heroes" was beheaded in the middle of a road in ...
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2nd WPT National China to kick off in Sanya this November
The 2013 China Poker Tournament (CPT), the 2nd WPT (World Poker Tour) National China is to kick off in Sanya in November. The 1st WPT National China, which was held at the MGM Grand Sanya at Yalong Bay last December, attracted many of the world’s best professional poker players, such as David Chiu and Johnny Chan as well as the famous American poker player Phil Hellmuth who has won a ...
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International Watchdog Iran Expands Nuclear Activities
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has made a significant step toward building a reactor that Western experts say could provide a second path to possibly producing material for a nuclear ...
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Thai Same-Sex Marriage Bill Not Without Controversy
BANGKOK, THAILAND -- As the debate on same-sex marriage continues in Western nations, including the United States, Thailand could become the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Thailand is known for its liberal acceptance of sexuality, but the draft same-sex marriage law is not without controversy. This is a traditional Thai wedding, except there is no groom. There are two ...
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Council of Europe Concerned About Russias Human-Rights Record
MOSCOW -- Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, has told President Vladimir Putin that the human rights body is concerned about Russia's law requiring non-governmental organizations to register as foreign agents. Jagland said Europe will watch how the Kremlin implements the law that went in effect last November, a measure requiring non-governmental organizations ...
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Boko Haram’s Funding Remains Elusive
A poster advertising for the search of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is pasted on a wall in Baga village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in the north-eastern state of Borno, Nigeria, May 13, ...
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Pope Urges Catholics in China to Stay Loyal to Vatican
During his weekly address Wednesday in St. Peter's Square, the pope called for prayers so Chinese Catholics can live their lives "in the service of their country and fellow citizens," in a way that is consistent with their faith. China's government does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. The two sides have regularly clashed over China's ...
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Asian Water Summit Focuses on Security Disaster
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND -- Resource experts say many Asian countries face a potential water crisis unless they address mismanagement that could lead to severe shortages of clean water. Other states struggle to contain massive floods. The site of a just-concluded regional summit on the managing water supplies and disasters. There was no sign of a water shortage here in northern Thailand as ...
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Japan mulls resuming talks with N. Korea official
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan is considering direct talks with North Korea, the government said Wednesday, adding momentum to the cause after a top level aide to the prime minister made a surprise trip to Pyongyang.Bilateral talks are on the table as Tokyo seeks to salve the running sore of abductions of its nationals by North Korean spies in the 1970s and 1980s, an issue that inflames public opinion at ...
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Carriers Elevate Rates to Avoid Renegotiating Trans-Pacific Contracts
Trans-Pacific container lines got a reprieve from sliding freight rates this week when they put a general rate increase into effect on May 21, but freight rates are likely to continue to slide in the major east-west trades because some carriers continue to slash rates after repeated GRIs in an effort to gain market ...
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Top North Korean Envoy Holds Talks in China
An envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Chinese officials on Wednesday in the first such talks since Kim succeeded his late father, Kim Jong Il, Chinese state media said. Choe Ryong Hae, a military leader with close ties to the Kim family, met Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department. Diplomatic meetings between China and North Korea are ...
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Chinas world tour Li Keqiang and Xi Jinping make the global rounds
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang steps down from his plane upon arrival at Pakistan's Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi on May 22, 2013. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed to strengthen his country's partnership with Pakistan as he arrived for a visit less than two weeks after the country's general election. The long-time allies will look to use the two-day trip to boost trade ties, and Li ...
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China cuts power prices in agricultural sector
/enpproperty--> BEIJING - Electricity prices for all businesses in agricultural production and logistics will be cut from June 1, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on Wednesday. Pork and vegetable producers will now enjoy the same electricity prices as other agricultural production businesses, which were already benefiting from preferential costs, the commission ...
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Iran expanding nuclear activities International Atomic Energy Agency
Iran is making significant progress in expanding its nuclear programme, including in opening up a potential second route to developing the bomb, a new ...
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Pakistans Gwadar port to be connected to China via road rail and air
Islamabad: In a significant move, China today signed a pact with Pakistan which will connect the latter's strategically important port of Gwadar to it via rail, road and air routes. The crucial deal was inked during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Islamabad today.China had taken over operations at the port earlier this year, a move that had upset India.Once complete, the port, ...
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Adorably Chubby Mini-Spider Species Discovered in China
) Tiny spiders with oversized rumps have been discovered in China. The little arachnids, each about a millimeter long, represent two new species of orb-weaving spider. They belong to the Mysmenidae family of orb-weavers, and are described May ...
Singapore Featured
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Singaporean expansion of MRT leads to disruption
Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) is not very big in comparison to Shanghai, Beijing or Tokyo, but proportionate to the size of Singapore and the city-state’s population, it is an extremely successful and extensive public transport system and one that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) plans to grow even further.
Singapore has a population of around 5 million, which is important when placing the MRT in context, it has a daily ridership of 2 million, giving it a commuter penetration of at least 40%, which does not take into account the fact that not all 5 million Singaporeans commute on a daily basis or use public transport. Read more
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