Connect Asia

The leader of the Australian opposition, Tony Abbott, will give his reply to this week's national budget announcement later today, Thursday.

The Australian government has increased funding for aid to Indonesia by 100 million dollars in this year's federal budget.

Scientists are now uncovering the vital role that coastal habitats are playing.

At least eight million people in north-east India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are at risk, as Cyclone Mahasen approaches the region.

It's taken more than 20 years and 20 billion dollars to build and in a few months Japan's state-of-the-art nuclear reprocessing plant will be ready for operation.

People living in the low-lying coastal areas of Myanmar and Bangladesh are bracing for the impact of Cyclone Mahasen.

In response to approaching Cyclone Mahasen, the humanitarian agency CARE Australia has put teams on standby, and is closely coordinating with the relevant Myanmar authorities and also UN bodies.

Australia's Treasurer Wayne Swan has delivered a budget that contains no real sweeteners and sets out tax hikes to pay for the ruling Labor Party's signature reforms.

While new cases of the H7N9 bird flu virus continue to appear in China, there's another deadly virus that has come to light.

Australia's commitment to climate change mitigation is being questioned after cuts to renewable energy programs announced in the budget.

Australia's Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has reported an 18 billion dollar budget deficit and has had to leave out the usual big pre-election sweeteners.

Australia's Opposition coalition says this budget is all about lost trust.

Bangkok-based photographer and author Nic Dunlop will launch his new book in London later today.

The agriculture minister from one of Australia's key beef exporting states says he holds no animal welfare concerns about live cattle exports to Indonesia as he pushes for an increase in trade.

On Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will make his first foreign trip since taking up the role and has chosen to go to India.

A natural world heritage site, Bangladesh's Sundarbans, is under threat from proposals to build a major coal-fired power plant in the area.

Karachi's stocks hit an all-time high in post-election trade, reflecting confidence in the outcome of Pakistan's poll on the weekend.

Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr has responded to the Pakistan's election results with what he describes as "guarded optimism".

As the search for survivors in Bangladesh's collapsed garment factory ends, there is some good news, with the government agreeing to allow workers to form unions without permission from factory owners.