` U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flies to India Sunday, the last stop on a three-nation Asian tour that started in China. In Bangladesh Sunday, she told an audience at a public question-and-answer session in Dhaka that she supports the work of Grameen Bank and its founder, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. She said she […]
Clinton Meets with Bangladesh Micro-Lender Pioneer
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the work of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus at a closed-door meeting with him Sunday in Bangladesh, a day after the top U.S. diplomat met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The prime minister’s administration ousted Yunus, who is 71, as managing director of the pioneering micro-lender Grameen Bank last […]
UN Warns of Looming Wheat Crisis in Asia
United Nations’ agriculture officials are warning that developing countries across Asia will need to boost food production by more than 75 percent by mid-century, to avert a food security crisis in the world’s most populous region. The alert from the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization came Thursday in Bangkok at a global conference of food […]
Japan Pledges $7.4 Billion in Aid to Mekong Region
Japan has pledged $7.4 billion in development aid to five Southeast Asia nations in an effort to promote cooperation with countries in the Mekong region. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced the pledge at a Japan-Mekong summit in Tokyo on Saturday, after meeting with leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam. He said the […]
Asian Nations Top Arms Buyers; China Seen as Threat
Russia’s state agency for arms sales says Asian nations have become Russia’s top military technology buyers, a development some arms experts blame on China. The Rosoboronexport company, part of a Russian delegation to an international arms exhibition in Malaysia, says 43 percent of Russia’s arms exports last year were to Asian countries. The Stockholm International […]
Asian Nations Top Arms Buyers; China Seen as Threat
Russia’s state agency for arms sales says Asian nations have become Russia’s top military technology buyers, a development some arms experts blame on China. The Rosoboronexport company, part of a Russian delegation to an international arms exhibition in Malaysia, says 43 percent of Russia’s arms exports last year were to Asian countries. The Stockholm International […]
Report: Rising Income Gap Threatening Stability in Asia
A report by the Asian Development Bank says the region’s rapid economic growth has created a widening income gap that threatens to undermine its growth and stability. In its annual economic development outlook, the Manila-based lender says Asia’s richest one percent of households account for six to eight percent of total income, while up to […]
Britain, Japan to Cooperate on Defense Projects
Britain and Japan have agreed to collaborate on defense-related projects, in Tokyo’s first such deal outside of its alliance with the United States. British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshihiko Noda, announced their agreement after meeting Tuesday in Tokyo. The two leaders said their countries will start joint research, development and production […]
China Warns of Possible Arms Race in Asia
China on Tuesday warned about the dangers of a possible regional arms race in Asia following the release of a report that finds the Asia-Pacific has overtaken Europe as the world’s largest weapons importer. A study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute this week found that the region accounted for 44 percent of the […]
China Warns of Possible Arms Race in Asia
China on Tuesday warned about the dangers of a possible regional arms race in Asia following the release of a report that finds the Asia-Pacific has overtaken Europe as the world’s largest weapons importer. A study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute this week found that the region accounted for 44 percent of the […]