Provides the latest RSS feeds for Asia Pacific News. For more headlines on Breaking, National, Business, Finance, Sports and World News, visit our home page Asia Pacific News.net http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/cat/4a8b544d0e80ba53/ en-us Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:56:59 -0400 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:56:59 -0400 30 MOSCOW Russia is steeply ramping up oil deliveries to China, with Asia now importing almost a fifth of oil exports from the world's largest crude producer in a strategic shift meant by the Kremlin to end reliance on weak and saturated European markets. Russia will increase oil supplies to China by 13 percent in July-September from the previous three months, a shipping schedule obtained ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215281115/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:15:14 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215281115/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least 13 people were killed when a tourist bus plunged into a valley Tuesday in northwest China, traffic police said. The bus, carrying 36 passengers, fell into the valley in Xinjiang Uygur region, Xinhua reported. At least 23 people were wounded. The accident took place around 5 p.m. when the bus was travelling to a tourist spot near Changji city. Heavy fog and poor visibility was blamed ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272476/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:20:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272476/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Border police in south China have seized a large number of snakes and tortoises in a cross-border smuggling case, officials said. The reptiles, contained in 160 boxes in a truck, were confiscated in the coastal city of Fangchenggang in Guangxi Zhuang region, Xinhua reported. The public security border defence forces said most of the animals were alive when they were found. Police suspect that ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270135/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:50:02 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270135/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 As many as 118 suspects have been detained in China for their involvement in environmental pollution cases, authorities said Tuesday. The ministry of public security said the suspects were detained since January, Xinhua reported. Most of the pollution cases involve mining or petrochemical factories. Some factories reportedly discharged toxic substances into the environment illegally, while ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215268912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:20:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215268912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Maldives anti-corruption watchdog has ruled out any corruption in the deal to award the country's only operational international airport to Indian infrastructure giant GMR group, a media report said Tuesday. The $511 million project was abruptly cancelled by the Maldivian government in November 2012. The Anti-Corruption Commission's 61-page investigation report into alleged corruption in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267795/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:30:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267795/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A safe and efficient transportation system is one of the highlights of Singapore's Changi Airport. Its credit goes to Japanese signal maker Kyosan, which introduced the signal system automated electric sky train. The electric sky trains, equipped with rubber tyres, are eco-friendly and help passengers move from one terminal to another. Kyosan has provided the technology for eco-friendly ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267785/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:10:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267785/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Using ultra-high resolution mapping techniques, scientists from Australia have identified 280 craters on the moon that have never been mapped before. The researchers at Curtin University in Western Australia used computer modelling of lunar gravity and topography data to explore detailed basins that would be obscured using other methods, Xinhua reported. A total of 66 of the craters identified ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267395/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:00:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215267395/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Left-handed batsman Phil Hughes and wicket-keeper Matthew Wade will join the Australia A squad here Tuesday ahead of their final tour match against Gloucestershire beginning Friday. Skipper Michael Clarke, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson and Chris Rogers will remain in London to prepare before the Ashes squad officially assembles June 24. Australia were knocked out of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215266789/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:30:02 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215266789/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, Lieutenant General K. T. Parnaik, has said that no compromise was made to end the standoff with China earlier in April this year in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Lieutenant General Parnaik, who was taking to the media here yesterday at a function to mark the 42nd Raising Day of the Northern Command, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215266777/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:10:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215266777/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The National Rugby League (NRL) of Australia has reportedly been investigating claims that spectators had racially abused the wife of a rugby player during a match last Friday. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, NRL football operations director Nathan McGuirk had confirmed that the body's integrity unit was aware of claims that the wife of Canterbury forward Frank Pritchard's wife Raima, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215265776/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215265776/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 It certainly recalled the memory of Sven-Goran Eriksson from the 'good old days' in Italy and England, when he was surrounded by journalists and fans. "This will be one of the biggest challenges in my coaching career," Eriksson, who took rein of the Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Fuli 12 days ago, made his debut speech here Monday, reports Xinhua. "I've learnt that football is very ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215264922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:20:02 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215264922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Producer prices in South Korea fell for three straight months due to lower prices of farm goods and crude oil, central bank data showed Tuesday. The producer price index (PPI), a barometer of future consumer price inflation, declined 0.4 percent in May from a month earlier, keeping its downward trend for the third consecutive month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The continued decline ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215264909/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:02 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215264909/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 David Beckham was pictured looking grey-haired and exhausted after a long-haul flight to China. The legendary footballer, who is known for his youthful appearance and impeccable hair, could barely raise a smile as he gave an interview after stepping off the plane, the Daily Star reported. But within hours, he again turned back to his usual look after changing into a designer suit. A witness ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215263425/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:40:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215263425/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Beijing, June 18 (Xinhua-ANI): The U.S. whistle-blower Edward Snowden said accusations from American politicians that he is a Chinese spy are a "predictable smear" designed to "distract from the issue of U.S. government misconduct", according to a South China Morning Post report on Tuesday. In the second public comments since he admitted exposing secret U.S. cyberspying programmes, Snowden told ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215263204/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:20:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215263204/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has called for a collective global action to build resilience and prepare for droughts, as well as to combat desertification (a type of land degradation). "Droughts are hard to avert, but their effects can be mitigated. Because they rarely observe national borders, they demand a collective response," reported Xinhua citing the UN chief in a message marking this ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215258942/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:00:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215258942/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 DUBAI Four more people have died and three more have fallen ill in Saudi Arabia from the new SARS-like coronavirus MERS-CoV, the Saudi Health Ministry said on Monday. The ministry said the four deaths were among previously registered cases. The new infections were in Eastern Province, in the capital Riyadh and in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia has been the country ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215256271/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:15:08 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215256271/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON World leaders gathering at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland have been discussing how to end the Syrian conflict - and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been defending his support for Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, despite criticism from the his G8 counterparts. Intense gun battles rage in the heart of Damascus and Aleppo on the same day that G8 leaders gather in Northern ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215256268/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:15:04 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215256268/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 NEW YORK -- A senior United Nations diplomat says Libya continues to face a difficult transition from the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, whose 42-year rule ended in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280244/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:48:57 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280244/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US House of Representatives urged the United Nations aviation group to give a role to Taiwan, a small victory for an island whose rivalry with China keeps it from world bodies.Lawmakers unanimously approved a bill that directed Secretary of State John Kerry to use US diplomacy to push for observer status for Taiwan when the International Civil Aviation Organization meets in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280256/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:47:23 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280256/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 An employee talks on a portable radio set near a complex producing aromatic hydrocarbons at the Bashneft - Ufaneftekhim refinery in the city of Ufa, Russia, on April 11, 2013. Russian oil exports to China will increase this quarter, as Russia shifts its strategy away from Europe. (SERGEI ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280257/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:46:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280257/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Jake White said, after his Brumbies side had beaten the Lions, that Australia will be far more optimistic about the Test series. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280258/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:37:15 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280258/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Vincent Yu/AP In a classic case of procrastination, China has been keeping its massive debt crisis at bay by issuing more debt. However, Fitch's Charlene Chu, a leading expert on China's debt, thinks the country's time is ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280259/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:18:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280259/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 While we were consumed by the crises of the moment--Turkey's riots, NSA snooping and Washington's "scandals"--something happened on June 7 and 8 that is potentially of more lasting importance. The Presidents of the U.S. and China held their most significant and successful meeting in decades. It was a vital step forward in the crucial relationship--between the world's ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280260/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:12:07 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280260/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON: A hand written journal of Vasco da Gama's first voyage to India, dating back to 1497-1499 that describes how he led the first fleet around Africa to India, arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India, changing the course of history of humankind has been included in the most prestigious list of the world's greatest documents. Unesco's world ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280261/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:06:11 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280261/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Anna Hazare was making headlines with his fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, a group of Brazilians, wearing Gandhi caps, appeared on the Copacabana beach here in support of India's fight against corruption. It was not just an act of solidarity with a fellow emerging country, it was also an indication of things to come. On Monday, two weeks of protests against the 20 ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280262/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:05:45 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280262/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 NEW YORK: " Happy Birthday to You," the ditty sung around the world in tribute to everyone from toddlers to centenarians, belongs to the public, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday. The proposed class action asks a federal court to declare the song to be in the public domain and that Warner/Chappel Music Inc, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, return "millions of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280263/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:05:40 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280263/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Graphic map showing the Western Highlands in Papua New Guinea, where a teenage girl reportedly beheaded her father (AFP Graphic) A teenage girl beheaded her father with a bush knife after he raped her at their home in Papua New Guinea, a report said, with community leaders protecting her, saying the man deserved to die. The Post-Courier newspaper said the 18-year-old chopped her father's ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280264/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03:38 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280264/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's army newspaper has branded the United States Internet surveillance program exposed by its former spy Edward Snowden as "frightening," and accused the US of being a habitual offender when it came to network monitoring. Yesterday's People's Liberation Army Daily hit out at the US for implying that spying on citizens from other countries was justified, and said the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280266/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03:38 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280266/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Political pressure is growing here for the Hong Kong government to protect Edward Snowden, who has said he will remain in the city and allow the people here to "decide his fate." Hong Kong has a separate legal system from Chinese mainland and an avowed devotion to free speech. Chanting slogans like "Shame, U.S. government," demonstrators marched from a downtown park to the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280265/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03:38 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215280265/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 People shout out against the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act in the hall outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278972/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:42:33 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278972/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 CAMBRIA, WISCONSIN -- The Food for Peace program costs about $1.5 billion annually and provides U.S.-grown food to countries in need. But President Barack Obama’s proposed 2014 budget includes changes to the 59-year-old program - replacing some commodity shipments with direct cash purchases in foreign countries. While some aid agencies welcome the proposed changes, farmers and millers in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278694/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:42:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278694/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Former Senator Russell Feingold has been named the U.S. special envoy to Africa's troubled Great Lakes region. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who announced the appointment Tuesday, said Feingold will work closely with U.N. envoy Mary Robinson to advance a U.N. framework for peace in the region. The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has endured years of conflict and humanitarian ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278974/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:42:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278974/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 W hen tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate Hassan Rowhani's presidential victory last weekend, one chant stood out: "Dictator! Thank you!" In the back of their minds, the protesters must have been asking themselves the same thing surprised Iran observers are wondering: Why would Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the "dictator" who has ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278973/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:42:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278973/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chinese network equipment and cellphone maker Huawei Technologies Co. would consider buying Finland's Nokia to help it expand its smartphone business, according to a story on the Financial Times website.The story quoted the head of Huawei's consumer business, Richard Yu, as saying: "We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278998/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:40:21 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278998/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 -----------------------(06:33 / 2033 GMT)----------------------- Stock Markets S&P/ASX 200 4,814.35 -11.53 NZSX 50 4,462.10 ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279973/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:39:31 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279973/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Accra, June 18, GNA - Mr Gong Jianzhong, the Chinese Ambassador in Ghana, on Tuesday said that illegal gold mining by some Chinese nationals would not affect the relationship between the two ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278699/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:30:17 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278699/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Titanic Belfast visitors' attraction and invited Stormont's First and Deputy First Ministers for a return visit."My administration's top priority is Japan's economic revitalisation," he said."Last week we announced Japan's revival strategy which laid out what I call comprehensive economic policies for economic revitalisation."He said his key words were ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278999/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:26:47 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278999/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Asian buyers discuss with a French wine producer during the Vinexpo trade fair in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on June 17, 2013. Chinese wine importers have already started putting orders from France and other European countries on hold over fears of a hike in tariffs being triggered as part of a broader EU-China trade dispute, say leading figures in the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279000/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:12:19 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279000/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 ACCRA (Reuters) - China is determined that its relations with Ghana will not be undermined by the arrest of some 200 Chinese illegal gold miners in a crackdown by Ghanaian authorities, a senior Beijing Foreign Ministry official said on ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278945/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:11:41 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278945/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 JAL SKY SUITE was today named "Best Business Class Airline Seat" globally, based on the world's largest airline passenger satisfaction survey conducted by SKYTRAX. Japan Airlines (JAL) received the top honor for its new fully-flat Business Class seat at SKYTRAX's 2013 World Airline Awards held at Paris Air Show. JAL is the first Japanese airline to win the Best Business Class ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278718/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:11:09 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278718/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Wesfarmers Target retail chain in Australia said in court Tuesday it was ready to settle claims that it sold counterfeit Estee Lauder make up. In Federal Court, Target said it would turn over all of its marketing materials related to sale of Make-Up Art Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder subsidiary that accused the Australian retailer of selling fake goods under its name. In addition, Target ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279002/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:55 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279002/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A new language discovered in a remote indigenous community in northern Australia reveals insights into how languages develop, a U.S. linguist says. University of Michigan linguist Carmel O'Shannessy has studied a language she has dubbed Light Warlpiri spoken in a small region of Australia's Tanami Desert. Residents there speak a highly endangered traditional language, Warlpiri, but a ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:49 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215279003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 CAIRO (AP) -- Clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of Egypt's president and his Muslim Brotherhood Tuesday over his appointment of new Islamist governors, some in areas where opponents are ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278955/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:57:51 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215278955/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Muhammad Naeem (L), a spokesman for the Office of the Taliban of Afghanistan, speaks during the opening of the Taliban Afghanistan Political Office in Doha, June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277745/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:35 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277745/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 ISLAMABAD -- Afghans welcomed their national forces taking responsibility of security across the country, ending 12 years of US and NATO-led control. Many are concerned about the Afghan security forces’ logistic capabilities to face down violent militant networks operating in the country. Barely an hour before a simple closed door ceremony was held here in Kabul marking the transfer of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277743/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:35 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277743/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 PENTAGON -- The White House announced Tuesday that U.S. representatives will open direct talks with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, within the next few days, aimed at finding a political solution to the Afghan war. The announcement is being welcomed by the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford. General Dunford said his forces had no ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277744/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:35 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277744/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel caused a stir three years ago when she declared the country's integration policies a failure. Since that time, though, several new programs have sprung up with the aim of giving immigrants a fair shot at a career in Europe's largest economy. One such program is called "Berlin Needs You," and it has been successful placing minority ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277746/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277746/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AFP) - President Xi Jinping is to launch a "thorough clean-up" of the ruling Communist Party, state media reported Tuesday, the latest strongly-worded anti-corruption drive to be enacted by China's new leader.The "upcoming year-long campaign" will target what the Xinhua news agency described as "undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucratism, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:43 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tune into virtually any major sport in Australia, from rugby to cricket to tennis, and you’re likely to be bombarded by commercials touting the latest odds on the game. Legal sports gambling is a multi-billion-dollar industry in Australia, where betting websites sponsor major teams and buy up stadium naming rights. Imagine a ';Bet365″ logo plastered across the back of a Los ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277547/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:40 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277547/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Yuto Nagatomo, left, and the Japan defence will have their hands full with Italy's Mario Balotelli, who will be a focal point on Wednesday. Eugene Hoshiko / AP ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277766/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:36 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277766/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 British & Irish Lions had been given "a reality check" after they lost their unbeaten Australia tour record on Tuesday. The Lions went down 14-12 to ACT Brumbies at Canberra Stadium, and there could be few complaints from a team outgunned upfront for an hour before head coach Gatland summoned reinforcements from the bench. The injury-hit Lions, who dominated the first five games ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277767/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:31 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277767/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 "It's amazing for the country," captain Lucas Neill said in a pitchside interview. "Three World Cups [in a row] now. I'm sorry, guys, it wasn't pretty but we beat what was in front of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277432/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:30 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277432/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Secretary of the Navy Mabus is honored by Philippine military members after a meeting with the Philippine Defense Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin. Mabus discussed Tuesday regional security issues during the meeting. US NAVY PHOTO/MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS ARIF PATANI MANILA, Philippines--US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus discussed Tuesday regional security issues in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277769/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:10 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277769/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA: Suspected Islamic militants have opened fire on students taking exams at a school in the country's troubled northeast, killing at least nine pupils in the latest violence to wrack the volatile region, witnesses said on Tuesday. Bodies of the children in their school uniforms were brought to the local morgue, according to a hospital official who insisted on anonymity ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277756/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:18:01 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277756/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China has detained two Russian men on suspicions of trying to smuggle 213 bear paws into the country. Customs officials made the discovery in the northern Inner Mongolia region in May, but released details about the case Tuesday, The Sun reports. The paws - which are believed to be from brown bears -- were found hidden inside the wheels of the van and spare tires. Sales of bear body parts are ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277771/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:29 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277771/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 phone hacking scandal have spread across the Atlantic, with a lawsuit filed in a US court alleging invasion of privacy of Angelina Jolie's stunt double. A suit filed on June 13 by British national Eunice Huthart accused the firm's now defunct News of the World of intercepting her voice mail messages while she was working as a stunt double for the US actress. The complaint filed in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277772/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:52:52 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277772/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 WASHINGTON ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277368/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:38:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215277368/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 When starvation looms, speed is critical. But while the U.S. provides more emergency food aid than any other country, speed is not what it does best. Andrew Natsios witnessed this shortcoming firsthand during famine in Somalia in 1991. "I literally watched children die while we waited for food to arrive," he said at a congressional hearing last week. "It took two to three ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276124/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276124/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Secretary of State John Kerry arrives to speak at the 10th anniversary celebration for the President's Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief, June 18, 2013, at the State Department in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276374/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276374/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIRUT -- The United Nations is pressing the Lebanese government to allow a dozen refugee camps help resettle up to a million Syrians. Despite a massive influx of Syrian refugees, Lebanon has been reluctant to establish camps for them. Many refugees live with relatives and friends while the majority rent lodging. About half are registered with the United Nations. "They are meant to be ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276373/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276373/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 In a joint statement issued by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin call the pact "essential to safeguarding the security" of their countries. The agreement, signed Monday at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, aims to reduce the risk of conflict in cyberspace by creating direct, real-time communication about possible incidents. The two ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276372/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276372/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But that may be about to change because Japan is poised to leave China for India, adding huge benefits to the South Asian country in terms of jobs creation, technological transfer, transformation of infrastructure and military partnership. "Japan wants to build up India as an alternative, economic and military, to ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276133/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:28:17 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276133/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By Asma Alsharif and Tom PerryCAIRO (Reuters) - Sixteen years ago, Adel Mohamed al-Khayat was a member of the militant group blamed for slaughtering 58 tourists in Egypt's Valley of the Queens; today he's promising to keep visitors safe.Khayat's appointment by President Mohamed Mursi as governor of the city of Luxor has triggered howls of protest, with demonstrators protesting for ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276129/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:27:00 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276129/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON (AFP) - Chinese telecoms giant Huawei on Tuesday launched what it said was the world's thinnest smartphone, which it hopes will take on high-end rivals like Apple and Samsung in the global market.Bidding to extend its market reach outside China, Huawei chose London to unveil its Ascend P6, which is just 6.18 millimetres thick -- the June 18 launch date reflecting the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276040/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:26:49 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276040/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's point man on Middle East affairs Tuesday said the country's new administration is adopting an active approach in supporting the Palestine-Israel peace process, but has no desire to compete with the US for influence in the region.Wu Sike, China's special envoy to the Middle East, made the remarks on the sidelines of the UN International Meeting In Support of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276393/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:15:53 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276393/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Guangdong province, launched a carbon trading scheme on Tuesday, the country's first market for compulsory carbon trading. The scheme covers 635 industrial companies and some public buildings that account for about 40 percent of the city's carbon emissions, the Shenzhen ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276401/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:13:53 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276401/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> China steel prices have dropped in spite of decreasing global output and easing oversupply, according to an article on the website of China Iron & Steel Association on Monday. The prices will fluctuate but largely remain low in the foreseeable future, said the article. Starting from the second quarter, overall demand has been rising while demand from industries with high ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276402/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:13:41 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276402/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 WASHINGTON: A group of major American business organisations and advocacy groups launched a new alliance against what they allege as India's "discriminatory" economic policies, including intellectual property issues, which they claim ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276054/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:09:35 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276054/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 National Security Agency said Tuesday the US government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange, in a forceful defense of the spy operations. Army Gen. Keith Alexander said the two recently disclosed programmes, one that gathers US phone records and another that is designed to track the use of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276019/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:09:35 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276019/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The noted contrarian investor and long-time manager of the Oakmark International Fund explains why he's still bullish even as the country's stock rally stalls ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276403/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:06:22 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276403/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 EDMONTON - Edmonton police issued an Amber Alert on Tuesday for a nine-month-old girl that has been abducted by her mother.The child and her mother were last seen early Monday at a southwest Edmonton home on Mullen Road.The baby girl is Chinese, has dark hair and a round face.The mother is Chinese, 36, five-foot-two, 125 pounds and has straight, black hair with yellow highlights.The mother is ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276404/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:05:41 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276404/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 NEW YORK - Stocks climbed on Tuesday, led by growth-oriented sectors, as investors took an optimistic view that the Federal Reserve will temper recent statements pointing to the future reduction of monetary support. ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276033/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:59:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276033/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 CHINA may soon breathe a little easier. The nation's State Council has announced strict measures to cut the amount of air pollution chucked out by industry by nearly a third by the end of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276409/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:48:29 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276409/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Jewish-Arab coexistence . Unlike similar attacks that have damaged Arab mosques, homes, vehicles and olive groves, the vandalism took place in an Arab village in Israel popular with Jewish visitors, rather than in a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank. Abu Ghosh, where the tyres of 28 cars were punctured and anti-Arab slogans scrawled on walls, is located along the main Tel ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276410/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44:00 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276410/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 US domestic flight , triggering emergency procedures, prosecutors said on Tuesday. Mark Michael Bote, 23, appeared nervous and was shaking and "rocking back and forth" in his seat last Friday on a flight from Knoxville, Tennessee to Denver, Colorado. "One passenger noticed Bote had his eyes closed .. A second passenger also noticed that Bote looked nervous, and that his eyes were ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276411/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:44:00 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215276411/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 People carrying mobile phones walk past a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), at Hong Kong's financial Central district, June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274927/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:20:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274927/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 U.S. National Security Agency Director General Keith Alexander says NSA surveillance programs have helped prevent more than 50 terrorist attacks since ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274926/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:20:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274926/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 From left: NSA Director Gen. Keith B. Alexander; Deputy FBI Director Sean Joyce, and Robert Litt, general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), arrive to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing regarding NSA surveillance, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274925/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:20:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274925/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 An Israeli-Arab and children are seen on a street next to a graffiti in the village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Israeli police have launched an investigation to find perpetrators who vandalized cars and sprayed hate graffiti in an Arab town near Jerusalem. The Hebrew graffiti reads, "Racism or assimilation" and "Arabs out." (AP Photo/Mahmoud ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215275198/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:16:09 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215275198/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Judd Trump and Mark Allen were shock first-round casualties at the opening ranking event of the season, China's Wuxi Classic. World number three Trump was beaten 5-2 by home player Li Hang, who earned his return to the professional ranks with a run to the final of last season's third Asian Players Tour Championship event. Li played fluently to take a deserved 3-0 lead with breaks of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274954/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:15:11 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274954/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Shanghai Film Museum opens to public SHANGHAI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Film Museum, one of the country's largest film museums, opened on Monday in Shanghai, the birthplace of Chinese film. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters, the museum features multiple exhibitions detailing the city's role in the development of China's film industry. "I didn't expect that ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274955/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:09:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274955/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 "We are not restoring public trust in the Red Cross Society of China, but establishing new trust for the new age." Zhao Baige, executive vice president of the Red Cross Society of China, saying demands for transparency are pushing the group to build trust, quoted by Xinhuanet.com on ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274956/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:04 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274956/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China is likely to resume approving initial public offerings at the end of July, sources quoted a senior regulator as saying on Tuesday, after a freeze since October as part of efforts to crack down on wrongdoing and restore investor confidence.The IPO resumption, which had been expected around midyear, follows the release of draft rules early this month to reform IPO mechanisms, including ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274957/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:04 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274957/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 "One netizen said he would rather eat tainted imported food than eat domestic food. I was shocked by his remarks."Ning Gaoning, Chairman of the China National Cereals, Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation, saying that China's food safety problems have become a nationwide issue which harms the nation's credibility, quoted by the China Entrepreneur on ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274658/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274658/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tim Cahill (No.4) of Australia is tackled by Ahmad Ibrahim of Iraq on Tuesday. Photo: CFPAustralia secured their place at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil on Tuesday with a late strike from Josh Kennedy firing them to a tense 1-0 win over an understrength Iraq at Stadium Australia.It was an unconvincing victory in front of a sellout 80,000 crowd, but ensured the Socceroos will appear at their ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274958/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:08:00 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274958/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Singapore's worst air pollution in 16 years sparked diplomatic tension on Tuesday, as it urged Indonesia to provide data on company names and concession maps to enable it to act against plantation firms that allow slash-and-burn farming.Singapore's environment minister made the request to his Indonesian counterpart by telephone as air pollution on the island hit unhealthy levels for a ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274568/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:07:58 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274568/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Russian lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill that would place tough restrictions on adoption to countries where same-sex marriages are legal, following France's vote last month allowing such unions.The bill could ban people in over a dozen countries from adopting Russian orphans even if they are single, according to an amendment that passed in the key second reading in the Duma, or lower house ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274959/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:07:57 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274959/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A woman walks past a banner displayed in support of the US whistle-blower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The 29-year-old former employee with the National Security Agency dismissed allegations he was a traitor or a Chinese agent, and insisted he had exposed a dangerous US global surveillance network that threatens the privacy of millions. Photo: AFP US President Barack Obama defended ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274960/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:07:55 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274960/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 1 of 4. Iran's national soccer team celebrate after defeating South Korea in their World Cup qualifying soccer match in Ulsan, southeast of Seoul June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215275832/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:53:17 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215275832/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 VIENNA (Reuters) - The outside world may never find out what type of fissile material North Korea used in its nuclear test four months ago, leaving a key question about the explosion unanswered, officials and experts said on ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274904/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:48:57 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274904/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Edward Snowden, the fugitive former CIA employee and NSA contractor who leaked secrets about America’s spying operations, often hung out online with foreigners in Japan who shared his interests in anime, video games, martial arts, the stock market and the expat lifestyle. Snowden, who ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274961/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:48:55 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274961/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Edward Snowden, the fugitive former CIA employee and NSA contractor who leaked secrets about America’s spying operations, often hung out online with foreigners in Japan who shared his interests in anime, video games, martial arts, the stock market and the expat lifestyle. Snowden, who ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274962/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:48:37 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274962/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By John McGarrity LONDON, June 18 | Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:46pm EDT LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, said it plans to sell Newcastle port, the world's biggest coal export terminal, meaning another chunk of the country's vast resources industry could be sold to foreign buyers. The state's budget for 2013-2014 delivered on Tuesday ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:46:47 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Eiffel Tower had to be evacuated for two hours Tuesday after a man threatened to throw himself off in the latest of a string of suicide bids to cause chaos for visitors to the Paris landmark. The man, who described himself as Polish and was said by police to have mental health issues, was talked down and arrested just before 3pm (1300 GMT), by which time thousands of would-be visitors had been ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274963/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:36:26 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274963/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A man walks past lingerie-clad mannequins displayed in a store window at a shopping mall in Mumbai.(Photo:Agencies) The city council in the Indian city of Mumbai came under fire Wednesday for a proposal to ban lingerie-clad mannequin dummies in shops and markets for fear they could encourage sex crime. Commentators and women's rights group have ridiculed the draft directive by Mumbai's ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274964/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:34:23 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274964/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) talks with Britain's PM David Cameron during a working session at the Lough Erne golf resort where the G8 summit is taking place in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273410/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:13:30 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273410/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING // The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations praised China's growing involvement in the Middle East peace process, saying it enhances the efforts of other nations and should continue to expand. Riyad Mansour made the comments yesterday during a UN conference hosted by China promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two-day forum is part of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273355/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:11:14 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273355/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia claimed their ticket to Brazil but fans' nerves were kept jangling in a manner befitting of the Socceroos' often tortured World Cup history.Only seven minutes were left on the clock when Josh Kennedy, a peripheral figure throughout this World Cup campaign, scored the decisive goal shortly after entering the fray. It may not have had quite the same heart-pumping ferocity as ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273043/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:01:14 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273043/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Police authorities in Southwest China's Yunnan Province Tuesday said they captured more than 8,000 drug traffickers and seized 9.22 tonnes of drugs in the first five months of the year.The two figures are up 12.7 percent and 23 percent respectively from the same period a year ago, said Yan Shangzhi, deputy director of the Yunnan provincial public security bureau.Yunnan, which borders the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273443/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:01:08 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273443/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 An eye-catching tourism cruise to the Xisha Islands, which China disputes with Vietnam, has been running for about two months. After its maiden tour in late April, Coconut Princess, the luxury ship that has carried hundreds of tourists and staff so far, is becoming a symbol of Xisha tourism. With the tour route being normalized on a regular basis, some questions have been raised, especially in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273267/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:01:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273267/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Families of victims and action groups in Malaysia submitted a petition on Tuesday to the British government for an official apology over a massacre more than six decades ago.The British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said in a statement that High Commissioner Simon Featherstone received a signature petition from the Action Committee Condemning the Batang Kali Massacre on behalf of the British ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273444/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:54 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273444/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia now join Japan, the Asian Cup-holders who booked their ticket a fortnight ago, at next year's FIFA World Cup as the only countries to have qualified alongside hosts Brazil.Although all four Asian qualifiers are familiar names at the FIFA World Cup, the year-long elimination process has been hard-fought and came down to the last week of the final group stage. Ex-Middlesbrough ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273445/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:30 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273445/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 An Egyptian court on Tuesday ended the detention of HosniMubarakin one corruption case, judicial sources told AFP, but the ousted president will remain in custody on other ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272970/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:58:08 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272970/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A TV screen shows the news of Edward Snowden, former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a restaurant in Hong Kong Wednesday, June 12, 2013. Snowden has declared that the American government will not be able to cover up his revelations about its vast data-collection programme ';by jailing or murdering ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273446/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:51:46 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273446/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 View Photo Reuters/Reuters - Amanda Knox (R) walks away holding hands with her mother Edda Mellas after a press conference at Sea-Tac International Airport, Washington after Knox landed there on a flight from Italy ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273757/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:50:12 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273757/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Todd Bradley steps down from HP's PC and printer unit to be replaced by Dion Weisler, a former Lenovo and Acer executive. HP is hoping the two can form an executive tag team to tackle China and ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273052/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:48:42 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273052/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court has sentenced six radical Islamists to five years in prison for burning a Sufi Muslim shrine in one of a spate of attacks that have highlighted rising militancy in the country that ignited the Arab ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273207/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:46:36 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273207/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Phonemica project, an effort led by two foreign-born linguists to record native speakers in each of China's surviving languages, ensuring that their words will be understood after their passing. In this follow-up, I spoke to Kellen Parker, one of Phonemica's founders, about China's linguistic map -- and why preserving a language means preserving a history that may otherwise be ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273341/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:42:25 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273341/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON, June 18 | Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:32am EDT LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) - It is too soon to draw conclusions about some of the unintended side effects of Japan's $1.4 trillion stimulus push, the International Monetary Fund's deputy managing director Min Zhu said on Tuesday. Zhu said the recent rise in Japanese government bond yields showed that investors had concerns abut the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274711/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:32:57 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215274711/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that fighter jets struck near the Kweiras air base early on Tuesday. The group, which relies on a network of informants ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273447/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:11 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273447/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Taliban will open an office later Tuesday in Qatar, the insurgent group said, offering a boost to possible peace talks after 12 years of fighting in Afghanistan. "Yes, I can confirm the office will open later today in Qatar," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP. "The office is to open dialogue between the Taliban and the world." In a statement, the militants listed ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273448/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:09 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273448/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Sun has been charged for allegedly paying public officials for information, prosecutors said. Journalist Nick Parker faces three counts of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office relating to alleged payments to a prison officer and a police officer between 2007 and 2009. The prison officer, Lee Brockhouse, also faces two related charges of misconduct and conspiracy to commit ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273449/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273449/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 G8 leaders on Tuesday strongly endorsed calls for peace talks to be held in Geneva on the Syria conflict "as soon as possible". At the end of a summit in Northern Ireland, the leaders also called for an agreement on a Syrian transitional government "formed by mutual consent", noting that military forces and security services needed to be preserved or ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273450/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215273450/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 >Editor's note: James Millward is professor of intersocietal history at the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of History, Georgetown University.(CNN) -- The Chinese legal advocate Chen Guangcheng, facing the end of his fellowship at New York University, has claimed that NYU is forcing him out due to Chinese pressure. NYU's participation in a complex deal to allow Chen to leave ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272980/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:24:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272980/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Swiss lawmakers are balking at ending the country's long-time bank secrecy tradition so the financial institutions can tell U.S. authorities about suspected American tax ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271886/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:06:39 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271886/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A suicide bomber has detonated explosives at a crowded funeral in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 27 people, including a provincial ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271888/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:06:39 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271888/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 "Super sexy, summertime anti-pervert full-leg-of-hair stockings, essential for all young girls going out,"@HappyZhangJiang wrote in describing the item onChina's popular microblogging service, Sina ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271827/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:06:19 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271827/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 TOKYO (AFP) - Proposed experiments with animal-human embryos cleared the first regulatory hurdle Tuesday, reports said, as Japanese scientists seek permission for tests that could see human organs produced inside the growing body of an animal.Researchers want to introduce a human stem cell into an animal embryo, to create a so-called "chimeric embryo", which they can implant into an ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271910/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:04:58 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271910/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AFP) - A dolphin has died in China after tourists hoisted it out of the water to pose with it for photographs, state media said Tuesday, provoking outrage online.Images posted online showed a group of tourists manhandling the grey creature, which washed ashore on a beach Sunday in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, the state-run Shanghai Daily reported, adding that it later died of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271911/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:04:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271911/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia's Josh Kennedy, left, is embraced by Tommy Oar after scoring against Iraq to qualify for the 2014 FIFA world Cup, at Australia Stadium in Sydney June 18, 2013. (DANIEL ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271517/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:04:14 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271517/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 National University of Defense Technology in central China's Changsha city has designed the world's fastest supercomputer, which will double the speed of the US ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271523/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:58:57 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271523/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Protesters massed in four Brazilian cities Monday in what they hoped would be their biggest demonstrations yet against a hike in public transport fares, stoking fears of more clashes with police and raising questions about security during big events like the current Confederations Cup and a papal visit next ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272012/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:58:12 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272012/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Africa has long found itself on the wrong end of unbalanced trade relations with China, the US, the European Union and other major trading partners. And the current Sino-African trade structure is still in the developing stage, driven by resource endowments as well as labor and the technological conditions that underscore the differences between China and Africa. The relationship is thus a normal ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271894/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:54 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271894/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Tuesday met with Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.Yang said during the meeting that China and member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum enjoy friendship and the relationship between them has soundly developed with close high-level contact and fruitful cooperation.He said China is willing to work with the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:42 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Health care costs in China increased in 2012 compared to that of the previous year, according to a statistics bulletin released on Tuesday by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC).The bulletin said in 2012 the estimated total cost of health care services in the country reached 2.89 trillion yuan (473.5 billion US dollars), a 18.8 percent rise compared to the previous year.The ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271831/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:41 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271831/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The priority for resolving the Syrian conflict is to hold the Geneva peace conference and avoid any action that may escalate tensions, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday."It is urgent to hold the second peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible and avoid any action that might escalate the situation," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.Hua's ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271913/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:39 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271913/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Five civilian workers of an agro- industrial firm were killed as leftist New People's Army (NPA) rebels raided the company compound in Esperenza town in Agusan del Sur Tuesday morning, the military said.Heavily armed members of New People's Army raided around 9:30 am Sienna Lyn Corporation in the village of Remedios in Esperanza township of Agusan del Sur and killed five of the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271914/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:27 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271914/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tiffany Chen poses by a picture of the 75-carat Star of China diamond while wearing the gem after purchasing it for $11.15 million at Christie's Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels sale. The new owner of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271530/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:08 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271530/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Murdoch's divorce spotlights News Corp's China reversal It's been relatively quiet in China these last few days due to the Dragon Boat holiday, so I thought I'd start the new week with a look at Rupert Murdoch's ongoing divorce with Wendi Deng and what it might mean for his ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271628/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:54:07 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271628/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> BEIJING - The number of caravans in China is expected to increase by about 50 percent or more annually over the next three to five years, an industry expert said Tuesday. By 2015, the number of caravans in China will surpass 20,000 and may even reach 50,000 if the industry develops well, said Ye Shengji, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271915/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:52:37 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271915/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 KABUL, Afghanistan ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271457/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:52:18 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271457/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday claimed victory over anti-government protesters after a heavy crackdown on the movement, as police raided homes and arrested dozens of demonstrators to stamp out nearly three weeks of ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271459/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:51:17 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271459/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A bus carrying 35 people plunged into a valley in western China on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people, state media reported. The accident happened Tuesday afternoon when the bus was traveling to a tourist spot near Changji city in the region of Xinjiang, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. A Changji police official, who only gave his surname, Ma, confirmed that the accident occurred but ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272345/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:50:55 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215272345/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Dubai, June 18. (BNA) -- Pacific Ventures once again marks its peerless ambition and dedication towards unexampled entrepreneurship with its latest project of a regal residential apartment The Burj Pacific. The real estate company has accredited eminent Bollywood actor/director Sohail Khan as its Brand Ambassador for the Gulf and India. Sohail Khan, who is already respectfully acknowledged for ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271818/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:50:42 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271818/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By Le Li and Ian Johnston, NBC News BEIJING -- More than 200 bear paws were discovered being smuggled into China in the tires of a van, Chinese officials told local media.Video footage showed customs officers removing the 213 severed paws, which included large, adult ones and smaller ones from younger bears, from inside the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271916/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:46:12 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271916/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 rape of school students by teachers has drawn attention to a normally hidden issue here. For feminists, a law in force since 1997 is particularly galling: A person who has sex with a minor — the age of consent here is 14 — may not be automatically charged with rape if he can prove the sex was consensual and commercial. Known, literally, as "spending the night in a brothel with a ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271918/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:38:50 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271918/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 President Obama talks to Charlie Rose in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview. The president discussed the rapid rise of China and what he calls a "very blunt conversation about ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271920/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:34:38 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271920/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Xi-Jinping said on Tuesday. Congratulating computer engineers for the success of Tianhe-2, the world's fastest supercomputer, Xi encouraged them to make further contributions and achievements in a bid to help build an innovative country, In a statement Xi extended greetings to all the staff who took part in the development of Tianhe-2, which has a peak performance speed of 54.9 quadrillion ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271921/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:33:13 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271921/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 National Security Agency spying programs as legal in a lengthy interview, and called them transparent - even though they are authorized in secret. "It is transparent," Obama told Public Broadcasting Service's Charlie Rose in an interview broadcast late Monday. "That's why we set up the FISA court," he added, referring to the secret court set up by the Foreign ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:24:34 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Taliban next week in talks in Doha aimed at achieving peace in Afghanistan, where the United States has battled Taliban insurgents for 12 years, US officials said on Tuesday, but warned that the process will likely be lengthy. US officials said the Taliban will issue a statement on Tuesday opposing the use of Afghan soil for attacks on other countries and that they support ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271923/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:24:33 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271923/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Five Thai soldiers were killed in a road-side bomb explosion in shouthern Thai Province of Pattani on Friday. Thai media reported that the bomb was detonated by Muslim insurgents in the southern part of Thailand to ambush a unit of rangers in Moo 4 village inTambon Buarae in Sai Buri district at 10:50 a.m.. The rangers were returning to their base in their pick-up truck after keeping security ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271924/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:20:55 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271924/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271917/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:05:04 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271917/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Last week, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said he did not want war, but would keep "all options" open concerning his country's reaction to the dam project, which Egypt fears will drastically reduce its water supply. Ethiopian officials responded, saying they would not halt construction of the nearly $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egyptian Foreign Minister ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270512/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:05 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270512/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Analysts say the recent leaks exposing top-secret U.S. surveillance programs may benefit China temporarily, but will not likely sway Washington from putting more pressure on Beijing to stop alleged Chinese cyber hacking against U.S. targets. The leaks by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden came at an opportune time for China, just before U.S. President Barack Obama planned to ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270511/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:00:05 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270511/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - A suicide bombing at a funeral in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday killed at least 18 people, including a provincial lawmaker, and wounded 50 others, police said.The attack took place in Shergarh town in Mardan district, 145 kilometres (90 miles) northwest of Islamabad, during prayers for the owner of a local fuel station.The blast, which police said appeared to target the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270339/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:58:28 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270339/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A field day for the sceptics. Anthony Bolton, a star U.K. fund manager with a sparkling 28-year track record, moved to Hong Kong in 2010 to launch a China fund, despite not speaking the language and having little experience in the country. On Monday he announced his retirement again. His investment trust (Fidelity China Special Situations) is down 15 per cent since launch, slightly ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270541/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:57:45 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270541/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia's chairman of selectors says the tourists cannot be written off ahead of this summer's Ashes despite a frustrating run-up to the series.Australia, who are currently without captain Michael Clarke after suffering a back injury in his side's 4-0 Test defeat by India, were eliminated from the Champions Trophy on Monday after losing to both the hosts England and Sri Lanka. ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270542/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:55:50 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270542/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A supporter holds a sign with pictures of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked details about the agency's surveillance programs, and Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan during a protest outside the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong on June 15. Snowden has been holed up in Hong Kong since the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270544/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:52:50 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270544/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia stand-in captain George Bailey says his team are low on confidence with the Ashes fast approaching, after crashing out of the ICC Champions Trophy to Sri Lanka on Monday. However, Bailey says Test cricket is a 'different mindset' and that the Ashes tend to bring out 'something special in both ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270545/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:48:47 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270545/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Sri Lanka cruise past an Australian side missing captain Michael Clarke on Monday and booked their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Sri Lanka set a first innings total of 254 with Mahela Jayawardene top-scoring on 84 not out. In reply, Australia are bowled out for 233 using just 42 of their ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270546/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:48:45 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270546/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 'The timing of the Lions tour is perfect because if we did win the series, it would give the game here a boost,' says the former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen. Photograph: Nick ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270454/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:48:43 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270454/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least 20 people including a provincial legislator were today killed and over 50 others injured when a suicide bomber targeted a funeral at Mardan in the troubled northwest Pakistan. About 100 people were at the funeral of a businessman in Shergarh area of Mardan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province this afternoon when the bomber detonated his explosive vest, police officials and witnesses ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270847/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:42:24 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270847/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON (Reuters) - Emerging markets are suffering a sharp pullback by investors fearful of a shock from China just as confidence in the world economy, and the euro zone in particular, rises, according to a survey of fund ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270195/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:33:30 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270195/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 -0.02% on Tuesday named Todd Bradley, who had led the company's PC and printer businesses, executive vice president for strategic growth initiatives. The new position will be focused on "enhancing H-P's business in China and extending the company's critical channel partner relationships around the world," H-P said in a statement. Shares of H-P were trading mostly flat in ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270238/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:31:32 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270238/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 solar panels . Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."The boom was sparked by a little-noted government policy, implemented nearly a year ago, that guaranteed generous payments to anybody ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270400/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:31:03 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270400/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 'This model of financing has created sprawling cities whose inhabitants depend on cars and buses. This means long commutes and rapidly climbing carbon emissions, as well as the choking pollution and congestion that bedevils most Chinese cities' ... Smog in Beijing Photograph: How Hwee ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270505/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:59 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270505/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Map locating the Baghdad district of Qahira, where a twin suicide bomb attack killed dozens at a Shiite religious hall. Twin suicide bombings killed 31 people after midday prayers at a Shiite Muslim religious centre in Baghdad, the latest in violence sparking fears of a revival of full-blown sectarian ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270809/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:44 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270809/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 1 of 3. An employee is seen inside a music studio in the Greek state television ERT headquarters at Aghia Paraskevi suburb in Athens June 18, ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270479/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:08 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270479/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Data indicate 121 of 6,203 elementary schools in South Korea did not recruit any new students this year amid the country's low birthrate. Some 1,596 other schools reported less than 10 new students in 2013. Most of the schools without newcomers are in rural areas, the data show. Officials attributed the declining number of students to the country's chronically low birthrate. ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271283/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:28 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215271283/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chinese police have arrested 118 people in investigations into environmental pollution cases since January, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday. Of the 118 arrests, 24 people have been charged by prosecutors and await trial, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry began a national campaign against environmental polluters earlier this year, and as part of that campaign, they said ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270551/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:27 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270551/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Group of Eight leaders worked to develop a statement on Syria acceptable to nations wanting a transition of power and Russia, an ally of the Syrian government. Accounts differed from officials Tuesday morning at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on the prospects of developing a substantive agreement on Syria and the fate of its president, Bashar Assad, to which Russia might sign on, The New York ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270601/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:27 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270601/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Torrential rains in northwest China have destroyed some 2,033 acres of farmland, affecting more than 17,000 people, local officials said Tuesday. The rains began Friday in much of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, including Aksu, Hotan, Kashgar and Kisilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. The flooding and landslides destroyed bridges ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270552/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:22:26 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270552/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON: Forget abandoning carbohydrates or detoxing. The new dieting craze sweeping Britain and taking off in the United States lets people eat whatever they like EUR" but only five days a week. "The Fast Diet", also known as the 5:2 diet, is the brainchild of TV medical ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270553/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:18:00 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270553/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China said on Friday it hoped relevant parties to continue sticking to the objective of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and work for peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong made the call on Friday during his meeting with Choe Ryong Hae, the special envoy of Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270555/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:15:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270555/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 South Korea on Monday rejected a proposal by the North to host a joint gathering to mark the 13th anniversary of the South-North Joint Declaration set for June 15, Yonhap News Agency reports. The Ministry of Unification said in a statement that Pyongyang should not try to stir internal discord within South Korea by calling for a joint gathering involving private organizations who do not have the ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270554/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:15:56 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270554/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SYDNEY ... http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270543/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:11:28 -0400 http://www.asiapacificnews.net/index.php/sid/215270543/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53