Latest Asia News
RSS-
Taiwan thanks China for condemning PH over fisherman’s death
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council responsible for relations with China Thursday urged Beijing to stay out of the row the island has with the Philippines over the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine coast guard in the South China Sea. The council thanked Beijing for condemning Manila’s behavior, which the council described as ';belligerent, irrational and ...
-
The Kim regime is despotic deadly and deeply rational. It will not
Western politicians like to grandstand about North Korea, calling its leaders ';mad';, ';rogue'; or ';tinpot'; (The Economist has been known to do this too.) In fact, North Korea is the world’s most rational despotic regime: a highly successful Communist absolute monarchy. Kim Jong Il, son of the country’s Stalinist founder, Kim Il Sung, failed as a ...
-
SLeone China sign huge infrastructure deal AFP News
China has signed a $6 billion mining and construction deal with Sierra Leone, which the west African nation said Thursday would boost an economy still recovering from an 11-year civil war. The private China Kingho Group will build a $1.7 billion north-south railway stretching 250 kilometres (155 miles), an industrial park, a deep water port for the transportation of ore to China, and a ...
More Asia News
RSS-
Greek leader stresses culture in talks with China’s premier
Prime minister Antonis Samaras of economically troubled Greece met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, hailing the contributions to global civilisation of their respective cultures. Samaras was greeted at the Great Hall of the People with military honours that included armed guards, a marching band and a 19-gun salute. Inside the hall, he told Li the two countries share ';common ...
-
After Fighting Over Mountains India and China Lock Horns in the
In mid-April, a platoon of Chinese soldiers trooped some 20 km into territory considered India’s and pitched tents and unfurled banners. When detected by Indian forces, the Chinese refused to leave, triggering a tense three-week standoff between the two Asian giants that ended only after both sides backed down from their wind-swept Himalayan posts and returned to the pre-existing status ...
-
China graduates face tough job market as youth unemployment rises
Across Asia, young and well educated people entering an increasingly competitive job market. In China alone, the number of college graduates will reach an estimated 6.9 million this year. Youth unemployment in Asia is among the lowest in the world, but according to the International Labour Organisation it is getting tougher for young people to find jobs. In China, there are so many new ...
-
China banks buy net $34.3 billion FX for clients in April
Chinese banks bought more foreign currency than they sold for clients in April, with net purchases of $34.3 billion in over-the-counter transactions, figures from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(SAFE) showed on Friday. The figure marked the eighth straight month of net purchases, reinforcing signs of capital inflows, though they eased from March’s net purchase of $44.6 ...
-
Australian coal miners face China cap
China’s new leadership seems to have a new slogan – ';control coal'; – and Australia’s coal exporters underestimate their resolve to cap consumption of the fossil fuel at their peril, a Chinese researcher says. China’s leaders under President Xi Jinping say they plan to enforce a target of limiting annual coal use to 4 billion tonnes – about half ...
-
KFC Loses Its Touch in China Its Biggest Overseas Market
Last week, Yum! Brands (YUM), which owns KFC, reported that sales at stores in China open for at least a year fell 29 percent in April as concerns about the safety of its chicken and the spread of avian flu had customers steering clear of KFC restaurants. The company predicted the publicity fuelling the revenue collapse would be ';relatively short-lived,'; but bird flu fears ...
-
China’s State Grid to buy 19.9 pct stake in SP AusNet
Singapore Power International (SPI) has agreed to sell a 19.9 percent stake in Australia’s SP AusNet to China’s State Grid International Development Ltd for A$824 million ($812 million), SP Ausnet said in a stock market filing on Friday. SP AusNet, listed in Australia and Singapore, owns and operates electricity and gas distribution assets in Victoria state, including the ...
-
US slams Japanese mayor’s sex-slave comments as ‘offensive’
The United States condemned as ';outrageous and offensive'; comments by the mayor of the Japanese city of Osaka who said this week that Japan’s military brothels during World War Two were ';necessary'; to provide respite for soldiers. The remarks by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto drew strong criticism from China and South Korea, two nations sensitive to what they see as ...
-
Japan’s Economy Growing at 3.5pct Annualised Rate
In the first sign that the bold policies of prime minister Shinzo Abe are gaining traction in the real economy, Japan’s gross domestic product grew at a robust annualised pace of 3.5 percent in the first quarter, kindling hopes that recovery would finally take hold for the long-suffering economic power. Japanese growth came to 0.9 percent for the January-to-March period compared with a ...
-
US stresses coordination after Japan PM’s aide visits N Korea
A US envoy for North Korea sidestepped questions on Thursday on the nature of a surprise visit to Pyongyang by an aide to Japan’s prime minister, but said all sides tackling North Korea’s nuclear ambitions should coordinate closely. Isao Iijima’s trip to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, and his talks with senior officials there have irritated South Korea and analysts said ...
-
Japan Becomes Most Favoured Nation in Poll Showing Abe Optimism
Investors are more confident in a Japanese leader than any time since at least September 2010, with optimism about prime minister Shinzo Abe’s policies exceeding that for counterparts in the US, Europe and China. The number of respondents who are more optimistic than pessimistic on the impact of Abe’s plans on Japan’s investment climate rose to 66 percent this month from 54 ...
-
Japan’s Investment Banks Love Abenomics’s Stimulus
Investment banks are among the first and biggest beneficiaries of Japan’s new economic stimulus policies, known as Abenomics. Since prime minister Shinzo Abe came into office in December with a plan to end more than a decade of deflation, demand for banks that help companies sell equity and debt is white-hot. Companies have more than tripled sales of stock to 1.7 trillion yen ($17 billion) ...
-
Only in the Philippines
As in the 2010 election, the machines divulged the winners of this year’s election in record time although there is no official proclamation yet as to the winners of the senatorial race, allegedly because of ';transmission'; problems. And like what happened in 2010 the people are amazed at the speed in which the results are known. They seem to be mesmerised into believing that ...
-
Philippines’ Asia United Bank climbs 9.5pct on debut
Philippine lender Asia United Bank Corp jumped as much as 9.5 percent on its market debut on Friday after an oversubscribed public offer, the first listing since the country won investment rating upgrades from two agencies this year. The medium-sized bank’s overseas public offer, five times oversubscribed mainly by Asian investors, highlighted the country’s rise as one of the ...
-
Thailand starts phasing out shackles in prisons
Thailand’s government is phasing out the use of shackles in prisons in a move aimed at improving its international human rights standards. Hundreds of inmates convicted of major crimes in the country had to wear shackles on their hands and feet. Some shackles can weigh as much as five kilograms. The move has been welcomed by inmates and human rights campaigners. Tom Bayly ...
-
American Born Entrepreneur Becomes Billionaire In Thailand
American born entrepreneur William Heinecke, 64, makes his debut among the world’s billionaires, thanks to a surge in the value of his Minor International hotel and food company. Shares of the outfit, in which he has a one third stake, were up 5 percent on Thursday; they have nearly doubled in the past year. Minor, which he founded nearly five decades ago, is now the largest listed hotel ...
-
Indonesia Critical of United Nations Syrian Resolution Elements
The UN general Assembly condemned President Bashar al-Assad’s ';escalation'; of the Syrian war on Wednesday but Indonesia, along with 58 other nations, including Brazil, South Africa and India, abstained. After three years of civil war – and with the death toll topping 90,000 – leaders and envoys from world and regional powers are shuttling between capitals trying ...
-
Pentagon chief vows to fix militarys sexual assault problem
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered top military chiefs on Friday to redouble their effort to address the problem of sexual assault, saying the frequency and perceived tolerance of the crime was eroding the military's ability conduct its ...
-
China Revise Disability Regulations for Education
Submission by Human Rights Watch to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council on the proposed amendments to the Regulations of Education of Persons with Disabilities in ...
-
China Submission by Human Rights Watch to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council
Submission by Human Rights Watch to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council on the proposed amendments to the Regulations of Education of Persons with Disabilities in ...
-
Syria refugee tally tops 1.5 million UNMore than 1.5 million Syrians have fled their conflict-ravaged homeland the UNs refugee agency said today warning that the real figure could be even higher as the tally only reflected those who register with
UN's refugee agency said today, warning that the real figure could be even higher as the tally only reflected those who register with aid groups. Dan McNorton, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told reporters that close to 250,000 Syrians were being registered each month. "Refugees tell us the increased fighting and changing of control of towns and villages, in ...
-
Asia-Pacific film festival cultural base to be built in Sanya
Hongkong’s ITC Properties Group Limited will invest RMB 6 billion in the construction of an Asia-Pacific film festival cultural base in Sanya, Hainan. After the base is completed, an Asia-Pacific film festival and TV festival will be held in Sanya every year, and the base will be the permanent and high-end site of film conventions and exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific area. The ITC ...
Brunei Featured
-
New Focus on Brunei's Schools
Brunei has an education system to be proud of, which has made the recent discovery of dirty and badly maintained toilet facilities at 180 schools all the more unacceptable for the Ministry of Education.
Brunei has one of the best systems of education in the region. As a country, Brunei spends over 10% of its government budget on education, among children in the country there is a 99% literary rate, and schooling for all citizens is free (while foreign residents pay only a small charge). Read more
News from around our Network
