TheRepublic.com - Asia News

Suspected rebels kill 2, wound several in India

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:37:21 -0400

NEW DELHI - Suspected Maoist rebels on Saturday attacked a convoy of cars carrying local leaders and supporters of India's ruling Congress party in a Maoist-infested area in eastern India, killing at least two party members and wounding and kidnapping several others.

16 children, 1 teacher die in Pakistan bus fire

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:35:07 -0400

LAHORE, Pakistan - Sixteen schoolchildren and a teacher burned to death in eastern Pakistan early Saturday when a short-circuit near a leaking gas tank caused their minibus to burst into flames, police said.

Radiation leak at Japan lab; small impact expected

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:05:09 -0400

TOKYO - An atomic research lab in northern Japan has reported a radiation leak that may have affected about 55 people, though none were hospitalized and no impact was expected outside the facility, the lab's operator said Saturday.

Suicide bomber dies in blast in Afghan capital

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:50:11 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan - A would-be suicide bomber died when his explosives-rigged vest went off prematurely in Afghanistan's capital on Saturday morning, police said. The apparent failed attack came a day after a major Taliban assault on an international compound in Kabul left 10 people dead including the six attackers.

2-child limit for Muslims in parts of Myanmar

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:37:23 -0400

YANGON, Myanmar - Authorities in Myanmar's western Rakhine state have imposed a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists in the area and comes amid accusations of ethnic cleansing in the aftermath of sectarian violence.

Balloons bring smiles in war-weary Afghan capital

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:31:05 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan - Artists and activists handed out 10,000 bright pink balloons to residents in Afghanistan's war-weary capital on Saturday, bringing smiles to surprised Kabul residents a day after a major Taliban siege on an international compound in the city.

Ex-sex slave says Japan mayor's remark 'absurd'

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:04:05 -0400

OSAKA, Japan - A former sex slave says a Japanese mayor's remarks about Japan's wartime sex slavery are "absurd."

7 Filipino marines, 5 militants killed in clash

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:32:10 -0400

MANILA, Philippines - At least seven Filipino marines and five militants were killed in a clash Saturday as the military launched an offensive against al-Qaida-linked gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to sabotage a road project in the southern Philippines.

NKorean envoy delivers letter to China's president

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:19:43 -0400

BEIJING - A top North Korean envoy has delivered a letter from leader Kim Jong Un to Chinese President Xi Jinping and told him Pyongyang would take steps to rejoin stalled nuclear disarmament talks, in an apparent victory for Beijing's efforts to coax its unruly ally into lowering tensions.

Obama's drone speech could improve Pakistan ties

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:20:32 -0400

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

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

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:49:39 -0400

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

5 climbers feared dead on world's 3rd highest peak

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:11:06 -0400

KATMANDU, Nepal - Five climbers including two Hungarians and a South Korean are missing on the world's third-highest mountain and feared dead, a mountaineering official said Friday.

Takei says Cho good choice for latest 'Star Trek'

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:38:11 -0400

SINGAPORE - Portraying USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the latest "Star Trek" movie comes with big shoes to fill, but the man who played the part in the TV series and six films has given his blessing to the actor currently playing the role.

US lauds India for reducing Iranian oil imports

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:43:17 -0400

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

Taiwan cuts growth forecast on muted export demand

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:49:21 -0400

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2013 to a muted 2.4 percent as global demand for the island's electronics exports remained subdued.

Suspected Kashmiri rebels kill 4 Indian soldiers

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:41:25 -0400

SRINAGAR, India - Four Indian army soldiers and a suspected rebel were killed in fighting in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Friday, officials said.

Foreign preacher takes rare turn on Vietnam stage

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:16:31 -0400

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

Japan's PM Abe defends policies as markets settle

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:52:09 -0400

TOKYO - Japan's top leaders are defending the economic strategies championed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, though the central bank chief acknowledged a need for better communication with financial markets, a day after Tokyo shares suffered their worst loss since the 2011 tsunami disaster.

Police: Suicidal jumper's fall kills SKorean girl

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:03 -0400

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

Japan's ANA to resume Boeing 787 flights on Sunday

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:14:06 -0400

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