U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling on Laos to investigate the disappearance of a prominent social activist and reunite him with his family. Human rights groups say Sombath Somphone, a campaigner for a sustainable development in Laos, was detained in the capital Vientiane a month ago and that he is in government custody. […]
Clinton Urges Laos to Investigate Activist’s Disappearance
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 5:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Japan, Vietnam Aim to Deepen Security Cooperation
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 1:25 pm (UTC-5)
Japan and Vietnam have agreed to deepen security cooperation in hopes of strengthening an alliance that shares concerns about China’s territorial assertiveness in regional waters. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for greater economic collaboration with Vietnam, following talks Wednesday with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi. Mr. Abe said the two countries […]
2 Killed in Flooding in Indonesia
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Indonesian officials say at least two people have been killed in floods that have driven thousands of people from their homes in the capital, Jakarta. A disaster management official told the French news agency that days of torrential rain have caused rivers to overflow and have triggered floods up to three meters. Seasonal downpours cause […]
N.Korea to Re-Open Embassy in Australia
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
Australia says North Korea is planning to re-open its embassy in the nation’s capital, five years after closing it for financial reasons. Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Wednesday said he welcomes the move. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation it would allow Australia to express its “very deep concerns” about what he called North Korea’s […]
US in ‘Intense Deliberations’ over Expanding N.Korean Sanctions
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 2:30 am (UTC-5)
A senior U.S. diplomat says Washington is pushing hard for tough international sanctions against North Korea following its successful long-range rocket launch last month. Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Seoul that he anticipates formal steps by the United Nations Security Council in the immediate future. “We are in the midst […]
Japan Grounds All 787 Jets After Forced Landing
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 1:20 am (UTC-5)
Japan’s two largest airlines have grounded all their Boeing 787 planes after one of the trouble-plagued new jets made a forced landing when smoke appeared in the cabin. Several passengers suffered minor injuries when the All Nippon Airways flight made an emergency landing in Takamatsu, on Shikoku island in western Japan, during a flight to […]
US in ‘Intense Deliberations’ over Expanding N.Korean Sanctions
Posted January 16th, 2013 at 12:30 am (UTC-5)
A senior U.S. diplomat says Washington is pushing hard for tough international sanctions against North Korea following its successful long-range rocket launch last month. Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Seoul that he anticipates formal steps by the United Nations Security Council in the immediate future. “We are in the midst […]
Boeing 787 Makes Forced Landing in Japan
Posted January 15th, 2013 at 8:55 pm (UTC-5)
A Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” has been forced to make an emergency landing in western Japan. National broadcaster NHK said smoke appeared in the jet liner’s cabin. Television footage showed emergency chutes deployed from the plane at the airport in Takamatsu, on Japan’s fourth largest island of Shikoku. Wednesday’s incident is the latest in a series […]
China to Survey Disputed Islands
Posted January 15th, 2013 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
China says it plans to conduct a geographical survey of a group of islands at the center of a heated territorial dispute with Japan. The official Xinhua news agency says the survey of the Diaoyu Islands, known as Senkaku in Japan, is part of a wider plan to map China’s territorial claims. It gave no […]
China: Factory Fire Burns Unnoticed for Hours Because of Smog
Posted January 15th, 2013 at 3:45 am (UTC-5)
A factory fire in eastern China raged out of control unnoticed for hours Monday, after local residents were unable to distinguish the smoke from the dense smog that has filled the region. The official Xinhua news agency says the furniture factory in Zheijiang province burned for nearly three hours before residents noticed the blaze. It […]
