December 2009

Australia plans to train nurses in Vietnam

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:56

The Australian nursing industry is planning to address a shortage of nurses by establishing training courses in Vietnam. The Nursing Federation in South Australia is working with the Vietnamese government to develop the initiative which it hopes will begin within the next year. It's also hoped many of these nurses will be encouraged to come to South Australia to work in the future as Christine Webster reports.

UK scientists combat spread of malaria

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:56

Scientists in the United Kingdom have discovered a way to combat the spread of malaria.. by meddling in the sex lives of mosquitos that carry the disease. Australian researchers say the novel discovery has unlocked a whole new way of reducing mosquito populations.

East Timor facing risk of AIDS epidemic

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:56

A doctor who runs one of East Timor's four AIDS testing centres is warning the country may on the brink of an AIDS epidemic. Dr Daniel Murphy is the director of the Bairo Pite clinic in the capital Dili. There are 117 registered cases of HIV in East Timor. But Dr Murphy says not enough testing is being done, and the actual number is probably far higher.

Former President of Indonesia dies

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:57

Indonesians are mourning the death of the former President Abdurrahman Wahid or as he was more warmly known, Gus Dur. Wahid died at a Jakarta hospital, aged 69, after a long battle with illness. The often jocular and partially blind cleric was Indonesia's first democratically elected leader. He won office in October 1999 after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship. But his short presidency was troubled by his personal health struggles and a fragmented political system.

Tension building between big miners and China

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:55

There's more tension on the horizon between the world's big miners and China.
The China Iron & Steel Association says it expects the big iron ore producers to demand price rises of up to one third next year.

British cabinet documents released

Updated 31/12/2009 20:06:55

British Cabinet documents released after 30 years have revealed that the then British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher was so concerned about a public backlash to resettling Vietnamese refugees in Britain that she wanted to buy an island somewhere in Asia on which to house them.

Britain and China relations tense following drug smuggler's executionAudioTranscript

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:44

The execution of a British man in China for drug smuggling has put bilateral diplomatic ties on edge. China has warned Britain to stop interfering with its judicial independence or risk harming relations.
In turn, the British Foreign Office has accused China of breaching its human rights obligations over the execution of Briton, Akmal Shaikh.

England reportedly considers pull out of Commonwealth GamesAudio

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:44

Reports have emerged that England is toying with pulling out of next year's Commonwealth Games in India. The Daily Telegraph report says the uncertainty stems from fears British athletes will be victims of a terrorist attack.

Burma agrees to repatriate thousands of RohingyasAudio

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:44

Burma has reportedly agreed to take back thousands of Rohingya Muslims registered as refugees in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes says Bangladesh has handed over a list of 28-thousand Rohingyas to Burma. He says it has accepted nine thousand people on the list are its citizens and the process of repatriation will begin as soon as possible.

Thai Army clears camp of Hmong to be deported back to LaosAudio

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:44

Thailand has completed the job of sending 4,500 Hmong asylum seekers back to Laos, despite international condemnation. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says he regrets the deportations. The UN's refugee agency was repeatedly denied permission by the Thai Government to assess the Hmong's refugee claims. A number of countries including Australia had already agreed to take some who had been found to have genuine claims for asylum.

40% of Fijians thought to have diabetesAudio

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:43

Diabetes is a serious issue in most Pacific Island countries. However, a survey of 34 communities in Fiji suggests the problem may be even more widespread than current figures suggest. The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand found 40 per cent of those tested had diabetes . . . that's one of the highest rates in the world. More worringly - about one third were unaware of their condition. The Foundation's International Program Director, Dr Tom Schaefer says even he was surprised by the extent of the problem.

Reprimand for Hong Kong's chief executiveAudioTranscript

Updated 30/12/2009 20:11:43

Chinese leadership has served a large slap on the wrist to Hong Kong's chief executive Donald Tsang. At his annual duty visit to Beijing on Monday, Donald Tsang
Presenter: Bo Hill
Speaker: Political science professor, Joseph Cheng. Hong Kong legislative council member, and vice chairwoman of the Democratic Party, Emily Lau

North Korea detains US human rights activist after illegal entryAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:08

North Korea's official news agency has confirmed that it's detained a United States citizen who crossed illegally into the country last Thursday. Christian Human Rights activist Robert Park walked across the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea, saying before he left that he wanted to liberate the North Korean people.

Suicide bombing in Pakistan kills 30 peopleAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:08

The Pakistan government is blaming two extremist groups for a suicide bombing in the city of Karachi, which has killed at least 30 people and injured more than 60. It says the Tehreek-e-Taliban and the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi are responsible.

A British man executed in China for drug smugglingAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:08

A British man with a history of mental health problems has been executed in China for drug smuggling, despite a desperate last minute please for clemency by the British government.

Russian fighter planes sold to BurmaAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:03

While many countries in the West have imposed sanctions against Burma .. others are aggressively doing business with the military junta. Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to Burma in a deal worth 570 million US dollars.

Marshall Islands on the watch for summer tidal wavesAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:08

The Marshall Islands have been spared the tidal wave surges which led to last year's Christmas period being declared a state of emergency. For nearly month last year, high waves hit the coast of the nation's islands, causing damage to homes and infratstructure. This year there has been no waves. But the people of the Marshall Islands believe rising sea levels mean the tidal surges will be back in the future.

Asia named as the world's biggest consumer of beerAudio

Updated 29/12/2009 10:57:07

It's official - Asia is now the world's biggest beer drinker, passing in sheer volume the amount drunk by Europe, and North America. That's according to Kirin, Japan's leading brewer. The market for beer in Asia is growing and companies are making moves to sell as much of the brew as they can.

US could impose financial sanctions on Burma's military regimeAudio

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:56

If talks between the US and Burma fail to reach some consensus on democratic reforms targeted financial sanctions could be employed to make the military government listen.

Skeletal remains believed to be former East Timor PM to be examinedAudio

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:57

Australian police have reinvigorated their efforts to identify skeletal remains believed to be those of East Timor's first prime minister and revered independence leader Nicolau Lobato. The bones excavated in Dili have been stored in a Northern Territory police forensic centre for five years and will now be examined using new DNA extraction methods.

PNG poice warn against anti-Asian activityAudio

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:57

Papua New Guinea police have warned residents of Port Moresby against staging any anti-Asian demonstration in the PNG capital. Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Rapahael Huafolo and Port Moresby Police Chief Fred Yakasa have issued the warning at a press conference in Port Moresby. They issued the warning after emails circulated in PNG saying Asian businesses owned by Asians should close by Thursday this week, December the 31st. A protest earlier this year had led to several Asian shops being looted and destroyed in Port Moresby and other centres - and that has led to an Inquiry into the influx of Asians into PNG. Firmin Nanol was at the news conference and he spoke to Sam Seke about the police warning.

Safety audit to be conducted of Philippine ferriesAudio

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:57

Philippine authorities fear the death toll from two ferry tragedies could reach 50.

Airport security tightened across the worldAudioTranscript

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:57

Airports around the world have tightened security monitoring of US-bound air travellers since a Nigerian man allegedly tried to blow up an American airline on Christmas Day.

Thailand begins work of sending Hmong refugees back to LaosAudio

Updated 28/12/2009 07:58:57

Thailand today began the process of removing more than four-thousand Hmong refugees back to their homeland in Laos. The forced relocation has prompted an outcry from human rights groups, and the United Nations has never been allowed access to the group to check their claims for refugee status.

Many Aceh tsunami victims still awaiting homesAudioTranscript

Updated 24/12/2009 20:25:06

This Saturday marks five years since a deadly tsunami swept across coastlines in Asia and Africa, killing more than 250,000 people and displacing another one and a half million. The Indonesian province of Aceh was one of the hardest hit regions. There more than 160,000 people lost their lives. The international response to the disaster was unprecedented; with donors around the world pledging close to 7 billion dollars for the reconstruction effort in Indonesia alone. And with assistance from more than 100 international organisations, more than 140,000 homes were built in Aceh. But many remain empty, while at least 1,000 people are still living in supposedly temporary accommodation, waiting to be allocated a house.

Rights groups accuse Cambodia of forcing drug trialsAudio

Updated 24/12/2009 20:25:06

A controversial drug trial has just finished in Cambodia. The trial uses a little known Vietnamese drug which Cambodian authorities believe could cure drug addiction. But it's come under criticism by human rights groups. They've accused authorities of forcing drug users to take part in the trial at a Phnom Penh rehabilitation centre. Cambodian authorities insist that everyone involved volunteered.

Claims Tamil asylum seeker was refused medical treatmentAudio

Updated 24/12/2009 20:25:06

The Australian Tamil Congress says Indonesian authorities refused to provide medical treatment to a 29 year Sri Lankan asylum seeker who died on board a boat in Indonesia's Merak port. He was one of 250 Sri Lankans on the wooden cargo boat.Indonesian immigration authorities have confirmed his death.

Nauru denies diplomatic recognition for aid moneyAudio

Updated 24/12/2009 20:25:05

Nauru denies it's recognised two breakaway republics in the Caucusus in exchange for aid from Russia. Nauru has recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which broke away from Georgia in the wake of Russian invasion of Georgia last August. Russia backs the two territories, but so far only Venezuela and Nicaragua have joined it in recognising their independence. Nauru's finance minister, Kieran Keke, insists that Nauru has joined them simply because the two republics deserve to have their independence acknowledged, and not because of any promise of Russian money for the tiny Pacific island.

Thai PM reflects on first year in officeAudioTranscript

Updated 24/12/2009 20:25:06

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva marked his government's first year in office by giving a special presentation broadcast live on TV and radio. The government says while the economy has turned the corner more work is still needed to end insurgent violence in the south and curb corruption.

Presenter: Ron Corben
Speakers: Panitan Wattanayagorn, Thai government spokesman; Kudeb Saikrajang, spokesman for Puea Thai Party; Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University

Stoning law reignites Indonesia's sharia debateAudioTranscript

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:07

Lawmakers in the Indonesian province of Aceh recently passed a law which would allow for the stoning to death of adulterers. Supporters of the law say it is unlikely that it will ever be applied, but it is necessary as a deterrent to would be adulterers.

Presenter: Katie Hamann
Speakers: Moharriadi Syafari, Prosperous Justice Party member; Eva Zain, director, Aceh Human Rights NGO Coalition, Muslim Ibrahim, head of the Aceh Ulema's Council

Eruption imminent as thousands flee Philippines volcanoAudioTranscript

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:07

Evacuation shelters near a rumbling volcano in the Central Philippines are filling up as more than 45,000 people flee their homes. Mount Mayon is spewing lava and more than a thousand tremors have been felt in the past day or so.

Samoa Tsunami survivors prepare for rough ChristmasAudio

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:07

A large number of the Samoans left homeless after the September tsunami are going into the wettest part of the year still living under the tents and tarpaulins they were given after the disaster. In September, the tsunami hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, killing nearly 200 people.

Malaysian activist says court decision provides some vindicationAudioTranscript

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:08

A Malaysian activist who has received compensation for his arrest 13 years ago for organising a meeting on East Timor says the Malaysia High Court's decision is recognition the government's actions were an act of violence.

China urged to reprieve British man on death rowAudioTranscript

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:07

The British Prime Minister has appealed to China for clemency for a British man facing the death penalty for drug smuggling next week. Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old father of five, was caught smuggling heroin into northwest China two years ago. His legal representatives have argued he was the victim of conmen who tricked him into carrying the drugs, promising him a career as a pop star. While the Chinese foreign ministry says the case has been handled according to Chinese law, human rights advocates are angry that his long history of mental illness was not taken into account during his trial.

Recall fears mar Hong Kong H1N1 vaccination effortsAudioTranscript

Updated 23/12/2009 20:47:07

Health authorities in Hong Kong have begun a mass swine-flu vaccination campaign, targeting groups most at risk of complications. But although the vaccines are free and officials promise they're safe, not everyone's taking up the offer.

Afghanistan's parliament to vote on cabinet next weekAudio

Updated 22/12/2009 20:44:11

Afghanistan's new ministers in waiting are facing intense questioning as the country's parliament prepares to confirm or reject President Hamid Karzai's new cabinet.

Protests in Taiwan during Chinese envoy's visitAudio

Updated 22/12/2009 20:44:11

There've been protests in Taiwan where envoys from Taiwan and China have signed joint agreements behind a fence of barbed wire shielding them from anti-Beijing protesters.

Violent clashes between protestors and police in NepalAudio

Updated 22/12/2009 20:44:11

In Nepal a national strike called by the former Maoist rebels has shut down much of the country the clashes between protestors and police have reached the highest levels of violence in years.

Action to save the Pacific's endangered birdsAudio

Updated 22/12/2009 20:44:11

The Pacific is home to one quarter of the world's critically endangered birds and has the dubious distinction of being the region with the highest number of species on the brink of extinction.

Chinese company to construct oil pipeline from Burma to ChinaAudio

Updated 22/12/2009 20:44:11

China's National Petroleum Corporation has received exclusive rights to build and operate a crude oil pipeline from Burma to China.

Rise in Christmas salesAudioTranscript

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

Retail industries in a number of countries in the region are experiencing an increase in Christmas sales compared to last year.

Uighur deportation sparks concernsAudioTranscript

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

The UN says it's "deeply disturbed" that Cambodia has deported a group of 20 Muslim Uighurs to China, where human rights workers say they could face torture and possibly execution.

Ashika Inquiry hears final evidence of 2009Audio

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika in Tonga, has gone into recess for the Christmas period. As yet the Commission has given no indication of the finding it will hand down, having decided not to provide any interim report.

Philippines on high alert for volcano eruptionAudio

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

Emergency authorities in the Central Philippines have raised the alert level around the Mayon volcano to four.

Ten years on, Macau reflects on developmentAudioTranscript

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

The former Portuguese colony of Macau is marking 10 years since its handover to China.

In turbulent times, Thailand's King remains belovedAudio

Updated 21/12/2009 20:44:44

In Thailand, recent national celebrations marking King Bhumipol's birthday have been clouded with concerns over his health. We hear from Ordinary Thais about the position of the monarchy.

Nepal to release child soldiersAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:20

Nepal has agreed to begin the release this month of nearly three thousand child soldiers. The children fought with Maoist rebels in the country's civil war and have spent the past three years in UN-monitored camps.

Presenter: Sonja Heydeman
Speaker: Som Niroula, South Asia Forum on Human Rights

Flu outbreak in North KoreaAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:20

A Seoul based welfare group says 50 people have now died from swine flu in North Korea. South Korea says it has doubts over the reliability of the North's official swine flu data but has gone ahead with a planned shipment of antiviral drugs.

Genocide charge for former Cambodian head of stateAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:21

Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court has charged Khmer Rouge former head of state Khieu Samphan with genocide.

Presenter: Sonja Heydeman
Speaker: Youk Chhang, Director, Documentation Centre of Cambodia.

Kiribati President frustrated at CopenhagenAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:21

The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong has expressed his frustration at the Copenhagen conference. He said that an absence of trust and sincerity between the leaders of countries at the summit, is contributing to the slow progress in the negotiations.

Final negotiations underway in Copenhagen talksAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:21

World leaders are gathering for final negotiations on a climate change deal in the Danish capital Copenhagen. The United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has announced the U-S will support and contribute to a climate change adaptation fund.

Charity brings music to Timorese childrenAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:20

Music has an important space in most of our lives and has the power to please, to inspire, to soothe and to comfort.

Bizarre new coral find off HawaiiAudio

Updated 18/12/2009 20:15:20

Scientists diving off the United States Pacific state of Hawaii have made a fascinating discovery of new and dramatic species of coral and sponges. One of the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory biologists has described the species as "absolutely bizarre".

Protests in India over rising inflationAudio

Updated 17/12/2009 21:14:10

Members of India's opposition parties have held raucous protests against skyrocketing inflation, and staged a walkout forcing parliament to adjourn. Members of both houses of parliament have lambasted the ruling Congress party over the soaring cost of food and other essentials. The protests have also spilled onto the streets.

Pakistan opposition demands PM resign after amnesty rulingAudioTranscript

Updated 17/12/2009 21:14:10

Pakistan's main opposition party is calling for the resignation of President Asif Ali Zardari after the Supreme Court struck down an amnesty protecting him against corruption charges. The unpopular law was drawn up by his predecessor Pervez Musharraf, and it was used to allow Mr Zardari's late wife, the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, to run for office. The Supreme court ruling means thousands of cases involving other prominent people, including cabinet ministers will be reopened. While President Zardari himself will remain immune from prosecution while he's in office, the coming months will mean increased uncertainty for the whole of Pakistan.

China sees 'no chance' of climate dealAudio

Updated 17/12/2009 21:14:10

Dozens of heads of state are preparing to meet in Copenhagen, without a finalised draft text for a new climate change treaty, and the gloom deepened today when a Chinese official said Beijing has effectively written off the chance of finalising a deal this week, and that a short political statement is all that can be hoped for. That could pit Premier Wen Jiabao against President Barack Obama, who's been pushing for a formal binding treaty, even if it has to be hammered out next year. Yesterday there was uproar when negotiators were told a new draft text would be circulated, alongside the two they've been working on for days - one that expands the Kyoto Protocol and the other that aims to include non-Kyoto countries like the United States and China.

Research centre aims to strengthen indigenous businessAudio

Updated 17/12/2009 21:14:09

As part of the Australian government's plans to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, a new research centre's been created to focus on the country's most remote regions. The Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation will be up and running next year, and will expand on work done by its predecessor, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre. While the centre's title is somewhat unwieldy, its aims are very simple - to create jobs, improve education and establish more businesses for indigenous communities.

Presenter: Amy Spear
Speaker: Jan Ferguson, managing director, Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre

Malaysian Muslims and Catholics argue over use of 'Allah'Audio

Updated 17/12/2009 21:14:09

A pitched battle is taking place in Malaysia's highest court over whether the word "Allah" can be used to describe God in Christian texts. The presiding judge says he will rule on the case at the end of the month. But the court's decision is unlikely to put an end to an issue at the centre of a fiery debate between Christians and Malaysia's majority Muslims.

Presenter: Stephanie March
Speakers: Father Lawrence Andrew, Catholic Herald Editor; PAS Islamic Party member Zulkifli Ahmad; University of Technology MARA law professor Shad Faruqi

UN grants Oceanic Viking asylum seekers refugee statusAudioTranscript

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:03

A group of 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers who spent much of last month refusing to leave an Australian customs ship moored off Indonesian waters, have all been granted refugee status by the United Nations. The asylum seekers spent a month on the Oceanic Viking before a deal was struck with the Australian government enabling them to disembark onto an Indonesian island. Australia's opposition party argues that the deal means the asylum seekers could be fasttracked to Australia, and that it could encourage others to attempt the dangerous journey by boat.

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders charged with genocideAudio

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:03

The United Nations-backed warcrimes court in Cambodia has for the first time issued genocide charges against two former Khmer Rouge leaders. The former number two leader, Nuon Chea, and former foreign minister Ieng Sary have both been charged over the killings of Vietnamese people and ethnic Cham Muslims during the 1970s.

Thousands evacuated from path of Philippine volcanoAudio

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:03

As lava continues to pour down the sides of Mayon volcano in the central Philippines, thousands of people have been evacuated from the volcano's path and from an six-kilometre exclusion zone, and are now staying in schools and evacuation centres. Officials say there have been several small explosions from the crater, and warn the lava flow could continue for months. Many more people will need to be moved if a full-scale eruption becomes likely.

Deadlocks threaten deal at UN climate summitAudioTranscript

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:03

Heads of state are arriving at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, and exhausted negotiators are looking to them to break a series of deadlocks on finalising a new global climate deal. China and the United States have traded increasingly bitter exchanges over reducing carbon emissions, and neither has yielded to calls from Europe and developing countries to get on board with a new treaty. The UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon says the talks are moving too slowly, and says it will be extremely difficult to "seal the deal", as he put it, by Friday.

Australian minister defends controversial web filterAudioTranscript

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:02

Australia's Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says parliament next year will consider introducing new filters to restrict what Australians can view on the internet, and has rejected suggestions the new filters would constitute a censorship regime similar to that in place in China or Iran. He says the technology, which has been tested by internet service providers, will only be used to block sites with criminal content, relating to rape, child pornography, bestiality and drug use. But a consortium of media and public policy specialists, working with the Australian Research Council, has published a report warning the filters may censor a much broader range of content.

Australian economic growth slower than expectedAudio

Updated 16/12/2009 20:13:02

Australia's sense of comfort took a blow today with figures revealing slower-than-expected economic growth. The latest National Accounts show GDP grew by just 0.5 percent for the year to the end of September. It has thrown a spotlight on the Reserve Bank's aggressive policy of recent interest rate increases. It been one of the world's few central banks to raise rates since the global financial crisis, but there are signs it may now ease off for the time being.

Delegate walkout costs valuable hours at UN summitAudioTranscript

Updated 15/12/2009 21:09:22

Vital negotiating time was lost yesterday at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, after African delegates walked out of the conference, angered at signs of weaking support for the Kyoto Protocol. It took five hours to get them back to the table, delaying frantic negotiations as heads of state began to arrive. The African delegates were supported by the G77 group of small and developing countries, which wants nations covered by the Kyoto Protocol - meaning every developed nation except the US - to stay under the Kyoto umbrella - and for America and major developing economies like China to sign up to a separate, legally binding treaty.

Asian Development Bank - Asian economic recovery to continueAudioTranscript

Updated 15/12/2009 21:08:40

The better than expected performance of Asian economies should continue next year according the latest assessment by the Asian Development Bank. The Bank has slightly increased its forecast of GDP growth for the region's developing economies, although it notes the recovery is uneven. It adds that China can help reduce the risk of a reversal by reforming its exchange rate policy.

Leaking rig blamed for Indonesian ocean contaminationAudioTranscript

Updated 15/12/2009 21:08:40

Scientists at the University of Indonesia say they've found oil contamination in water samples collected by fishermen in Indonesian sovereign waters which they believe may be from an oilrig leak off northwest Australia. The Montara Well spewed up to 5 million litres of oil into the Timor Sea for 10 weeks until it was successfully stopped last month. A group of Indonesian fishermen say the results add weight to their claim for compensation from the company that operates the West Atlas Rig - PTTEP Australasia.

Taiwan fears China trade deal could cost jobsAudioTranscript

Updated 15/12/2009 21:08:41

Unions in Taiwan say they fear there could be huge job losses if a proposed free trade agreement is signed with mainland China. Talks on the deal are scheduled for next week between senior officials from Beijing and Taipei. The last round of talks in 2008 sparked violent protests, and the issue continues to divide Taiwan's citizens along political and business lines.

Fiji counts the cost of cycloneAudio

Updated 15/12/2009 21:08:41

Fijians are cleaning up after the island nation received a battering on Monday by Tropical Cyclone Mick. The storm killed at least three people, triggered widespread power blackouts and caused extensive flash flooding. Nearly 4,000 people stayed in evacuation centres last night over fears their houses might not withstand the cyclone's 100kmh winds, but most have now headed home to clean up.

Thousands evacuated from Philippine volcano pathAudio

Updated 15/12/2009 21:08:41

In the central Philippines, around 50,000 people are being evacuated from the area surrounding the Mayon volcano. The volcano has been steadily spewing lava and ash, prompting officials to begin moving people out. Disaster management officials have set up relief centres seven kilometres from the danger zone, and say they've got enough food and water for a month.

PNG cholera outbreak continues to worsenAudio

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:13

As Papua New Guinea's cholera outbreak continues to worsen, the government has yet to fulfil its promise to provide millions of dollars to fight the disease. The health minister has blamed PNG's dysfunctional bureaucracy for the delay, and says there's nothing more he can do. It comes as the international aid agency Oxfam warns it may not be able to help contain the disease for much longer.

Cambodian opposition angered at Thai spy's pardonAudioTranscript

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:13

Cambodia's opposition has accused the government of undermining the country's monarch and of meddling in Thai politics, after the spying conviction of a Thai man was overturned. Last week a 31-year-old Thai national was jailed for seven years for tipping off Phnom Penh's Thai embassy about the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Cambodia. Three days later the Cambodian king granted Siwarak Chothipong a royal pardon - a move that's outraged the opposition.

Fiji pounded by Tropical Cyclone MickAudio

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:13

Tropical Cyclone Mick has been pounding Fiji, bringing flash floods to low-lying areas of the town of Nadi, and widespread power blackouts. There have been no reports of casualties, but the Category Two storm brought heavy rain and winds of up to 110 kilometres an hour, blowing roofs off houses and flooding roads in low-lying areas. A tropical cyclone gale warning remains in force for the Fiji islands.

Chinese concession raises fresh hopes in CopenhagenAudioTranscript

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:13

With time running out for a global climate deal at the UN summit underway in Copenhagen, there has been an apparent concession from China which could be enough to get the talks back on track. World leaders are beginning to arrive to engage in the final round of negotiations towards a new climate agreement. At the weekend, delegations from the US, Australia, Canada and most of Europe infuriated officials from developing countries by pushing to change rules on carbon counting in land use. Breaking from the rest of Europe, France accused wealthy countries of trying to dodge hefty emissions cuts.

Malaysia's Islamic banking sector eyes AustraliaAudio

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:11

Malaysia's Islamic banking sector is looking to expand and has its eyes on Australia. The country has one of the most developed Islamic finance sectors and is the largest issuer of Islamic bonds in the world. Its banking reforms have also opened opportunities for foreign investors and new licences are in the offing.

Auditors criticise 'shortcomings' in Australian aid agencyAudioTranscript

Updated 14/12/2009 20:49:12

The Australian government has acknowledged major shortcomings in the domestic running of its aid agency AusAID, after a recent auditor's report found the agency has problems with communication, internal transparency and high staff turnover. The report says programs in East Timor and Papua New Guinea have suffered as a result. The Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, insists the report is positive overall, but admits AusAID must do more on the communications front, and in keeping good staff. Mr McMullan has also dismissed suggestions made last week by prominent Australian economist Ross Garnaut, that Pacific communities threatened by sea level rise will inevitably be resettled in Australia or New Zealand.

Australia threatens Japan with legal action over whalingAudioTranscript

Updated 11/12/2009 20:42:23

Australia has warned it may take international legal action against Japan, if it can't reach agreement on halting Tokyo's whaling program. Canberra renewed the threat after Japan's foreign minister dashed hopes that the country's new, centre-left government might review its whaling policy. As the Japanese fleet prepared to set sail for the Southern Ocean, aiming to catch 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales, it became clear the issue remains a significant diplomatic irritant in the otherwise robust Australia-Japan relationship.

Protests as India creates 29th stateAudio

Updated 11/12/2009 20:42:23

India has a new 29th state - Telengana - carved out out of ten districts of Andhra Pradesh, taking with it the city of Hyderabad, which will become its new capital. The central government in New Delhi made the sudden decision on the 11th day of a fast by Telangan's Chief Minister, Chandrasekhar Rao, whose health was deteriorating. The news has sparked protests across Andhra Pradesh, and the resignation of more than 100 members of parliament.

Asian Development Bank urges Copenhagen dealAudioTranscript

Updated 11/12/2009 20:42:23

The first week of negotiations at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen winds up tonight, with little progress on overcoming long-standing divisions between wealthy and poor nations. The summit ran into trouble on its second day, with a leaked document from wealthy countries proposing, among other things, a $US10 billion annual fund to help developing nations handle the effects of climate change over the next three years. China said that wasn't enough, but has yet to agree to being included in any concrete emissions targets. That's infuriated poor nations and Pacific states, which want all the big economies, including China and India, to sign up to a binding treaty in Denmark.

China tops list of new Australian migrantsAudio

Updated 11/12/2009 20:42:21

For the first time, China has topped the list of migrants moving to Australia. Historically Australia's two strongest sources of new arrivals have been Britain and New Zealand, but the global financial crisis and cuts to Australia's skilled migration program mean fewer people from those countries are choosing to move Down Under. China has been close to the top of Australia's migrant source list for some time, reflecting new trends in regional migration.

Tibetan PM in exile calls for greater Australian supportAudioTranscript

Updated 11/12/2009 20:42:21

The leader of Tibet's government in exile has urged Australia to lobby China towards granting Tibet regional autonomy. Samdhong Rinpoche serves as Tibet's Prime Minister, a role he's been elected to by Tibetans in exile around the world.
He's currently visiting Australia where he attended the Parliament of World Religions here in Melbourne.

Australia to reduce troops numbers in East TimorAudio

Updated 10/12/2009 20:47:24

Australia has announced plans to cut the number of defence force personnel serving in East Timor by a third. An International Stabilisation Force has been in East Timor since violent riots erupted in the capital Dili in May 2006. Canberra's current commitment of 650 soldiers will be reduced to 400 over the next two months.

Copenhagen negotiators to seek REDD dealAudio

Updated 10/12/2009 20:47:24

One of the big issues featuring at the Copenhagen negotiations involves whether, and how, forests can be used to offset the harm done by carbon emissions. Trees of course absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, so cutting down forests to make way for crops or for timber means losing them as a carbon storage facility or "sink". Tomorrow at the UN summit, developing countries hope to finalise a deal on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, known as REDD. But environmentalists say many wealthy countries looking to avoid reducing carbon emissions at home are looking to the developing world's forests as a potential carbon "slush fund".

UN Summit: Cracks widening between rich and poor statesAudio

Updated 10/12/2009 20:47:24

As the UN climate talks in Copenhagen enter their fourth day, cracks are continuing to widen between poor, emerging and developed economies. China and the United States have exchanged fire, with Beijing sidestepping Washington's pressure to take more action. On the third day, delegates from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu - which faces the immediate threat of rising sea levels - expressed frustration at the growing prospect of no new deal when negotiations wind up next week. Tuvalu's chief negotiator says Western countries have to stop trying to delay deliberations on a final treaty to succeed the Kyoto protocol, and that delegates in Denmark should do the job they're there to do.

Volkswagen may seek merger with SuzukiAudio

Updated 10/12/2009 20:47:22

Asia's car industry is in for a shake-up of major proportions if a deal between Germany's Volkswagen and Japan's Suzuki goes ahead. Volkswagon has offered $US2.5 billion for a 20 percent share of the smaller Suzuki, in a move which could lead to an all-out merger. Together their sales would outstrip Toyota, the world's leading car maker.

Australia to clarify rules on foreign investmentAudioTranscript

Updated 10/12/2009 20:47:22

Australia has again moved to counter concern about its foreign investment rules, after a troubled year over Chinese state-owned investment proposals. Treasurer Wayne Swan has announced he's expanding the membership of the Foreign Investment Review Board, as he used one of his final speeches for the year to underscore the importance of foreign investment to Australia. Mr Swan also said the government will publish easy-to-read guidelines in several languages on how the foreign investment approvals process works.

Displaced Sri Lankan Tamils 'still denied freedom of movement'AudioTranscript

Updated 09/12/2009 20:56:46

Sri Lanka says it won't bring charges against 11,000 former Tamil Tigers rebels it says were found among displaced civilians in the country's refugee camps. Colombo says many former rebels were young people coerced into fighting, and that they are being rehabilitated. But 200 former rebels are under arrest and will be prosecuted.

Red Cross: US Afghan troop surge will endanger more civiliansAudioTranscript

Updated 09/12/2009 20:56:46

The top US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has thrown his full support behind President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, but a less optimistic view of Mr Obama's troop surge is offered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC has directly linked a rise in troop numbers in southern Afghanistan over the past year with a 20 percent rise in civilian casualties . It warns more foreign troops will almost certainly lead to more civilian deaths. With the first new American soldiers due to arrive next week, the ICRC says more needs to be done to protect civilian lives.

Anger at Copenhagen UN talks over leakAudioTranscript

Updated 09/12/2009 20:56:46

At the UN climate change summit underway in Copenhagen, negotiators are trying to get talks back on track after yesterday's leaking of a controversial document. The text was published by Britain's Guardian newspaper, which claims it was prepared by individuals from the United States, Britain, Denmark and Australia.

Australian opposition accused of downgrading foreign aid commitmentAudioTranscript

Updated 09/12/2009 20:56:42

Australia's political opposition has been accused of downgrading its commitment to international aid, after new Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott dropped the position of parliamentary secretary for aid from his new line-up of shadow ministers. The opposition has denied that suggestion.

Concerns for Uighur Chinese in CambodiaAudio

Updated 09/12/2009 20:56:42

Chinese authorities have arrested 94 more people suspected of involvement in deadly ethnic riots in Xinjiang province earlier this year. Nine people have been executed and hundreds more - many of them ethnic Uighur Muslims - are in custody over the riots, in which Uighurs attacked members of the Han community in the provincial capital Urumqi.

World's faithful gather in MelbourneAudio

Updated 08/12/2009 20:58:43

Thousands of people from the world's faith communities have converged on the Australian city of Melbourne for the Parliament of World Religions. It's a chance for people to share beliefs, explain their practices and seek to make connections which could lead to a more harmonious world.

Japan approves stimulus package to maintain recoveryAudio

Updated 08/12/2009 20:58:43

Japan has approved a huge new economic stimulus package, worth nearly $US275 billion US dollars, which include $US80 billion in direct spending. Tokyo hopes it will keep Japan's fragile economic recovery on track, in the face of the surging yen and rising deflation. The deal came after tough negotiations with the ruling party's smaller coalition partners, which are extending their influence as Prime Minister Hatoyama's government loses popularity.

Australia urged to press prominent Sri Lankan on 'war crimes'AudioTranscript

Updated 08/12/2009 20:58:43

Six months after the Sri Lankan government won a civil war with the Tamil Tigers, allegations have surfaced of war crimes committed in the final months of the conflict. Last month the US Department of Homeland Security tried to question the Sri Lankan presidential candidate, General Sarath Fonseka - who is a US citizen - about possible war crimes when he was visiting the United States. But no such moves have been made by the Australian government to question a prominent dual Sri Lankan-Australian citizen about his activities.

Plight of Afghan women worseningAudioTranscript

Updated 08/12/2009 20:58:43

The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan today for talks with President Hamid Karzai on Washington's new strategy and plans to boost its troop commitments. Mr Gates arrived as Mr Karzai said he would postpone announcing his new cabinet for at least a week.

Militants blamed for second bombing in eastern PakistanAudioTranscript

Updated 08/12/2009 20:58:43

Pakistanis are counting the cost of their government's ongoing offensive against the Taliban - with three deadly bombings in the past two days. While most of the militant violence of recent months has targeted the northwestern city of Peshawar, the two latest attacks targeted cities in eastern Punjab province - hundreds of kilometres from the ragged warfront.

Thai, Malaysian PMs unite to end southern Thai insurgencyAudio

Updated 07/12/2009 21:10:12

The Prime Ministers of Thailand and Malaysia are preparing to make an unprecedented joint visit to southern Thailand. Najib Razak is on a three-day visit to Thailand - and together with Abhisit Vejjajiva, he'll be visiting the south to present a united front. It's a radical step for Bangkok, which is keen to end the simmering insurgency in the south that's claimed thousands of lives over the past five years.

Philippines dubs Ampatuan patriarch 'enemy of the state'Audio

Updated 07/12/2009 21:10:12

Government troops have clashed in the southern Philippines with forces loyal to the powerful Ampatuan family. Army chiefs in Maguindanao say the two sides exchanged fire, in the wake of murder charges laid against after Andal Ampatuan Junior, over last month's murders of 57 people, many of them members of a rival political clan. The army is hunting for more than 3,000 of armed Ampatuan supporters, and President Gloria Arroyo has imposed martial law in Maguindanao - the first time there's been martial law in the Philippines since the Marcos days of 1981.

UN climate summit opens in CopenhagenAudio

Updated 07/12/2009 21:10:12

The biggest climate meeting in history has opened in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. 15,000 participants from 192 countries will spend the next two weeks trying to reach consensus on a successor deal to the Kyoto Protocol, and it will culminate with a summit of 105 world leaders. Campaigners warn that if they fail, the world faces catastrophic climate change, which could plunge millions into poverty and spark new conflicts over water and land.

Currency devaluation leaves North Koreans strugglingAudio

Updated 07/12/2009 21:10:10

North Koreans are struggling to accommodate a decision by their central government to devalue the country's currency by a factor of 100. Citizens have reportedly set fire to piles of old bills in rare displays of anger against Pyongyang's decision to knock two zeros off the value of the won. One Seoul-based charity says the move could push more people into poverty, and encourage more Northerners to try to flee the repressive regime.

US envoy prepares for North Korea talksAudio

Updated 07/12/2009 21:10:10

President Obama's special envoy, Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, is preparing to travel to North Korea, after talks in Seoul on strategies to get the reclusive, Stalinist state to give up its nuclear ambitions. Japan's Asahi newspaper has reported that a new plan is being shaped, laying down a path towards ending North Korea's nuclear arms program.

Malaysian Opposition leader visits AustraliaAudio

Updated 04/12/2009 20:55:55

It's ten years since Malaysia's Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was convicted on sodomy and corruption charges, following two trials which his supporters insisted were unfair and politically-motivated. Datuk Seri Anwar is in Melbourne for the Parliament of World Religions, while at home he's fighting a second sodomy charge in the Malaysian courts. This week the Kuala Lumpur High Court rejected his application to have the charges dismissed, despite a medical examination finding no evidence of sexual misconduct.

UN rapporteur urges Australia to close detention facilityAudioTranscript

Updated 04/12/2009 20:55:55

An independent United Nations expert has urged Australia to close its immigration detention facility on Christmas Island. The special rapporteur on health, Anand Grover, has also been speaking on the state of indigenous health in Australia, calling it "Third World" standard. Canberra has been criticised further, with Mr Grover urging the government to enshrine human rights, including health rights, in domestic law.

Australian PM hosts 'Asia Pacific Community' talksAudio

Updated 04/12/2009 21:11:11

With their economies and armies moving towards becoming the biggest in the world, the Asia Pacific region must find ways of handling potentially dangerous challenges as a collective. That's the view of Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, addressing a conference in Sydney held to discuss his proposal for an Asia Pacific Community. Mr Rudd told the meeting of invited diplomats, politicians, academics and business leaders that peace and security in the region can't be taken for granted. He says existing bodies like APEC and ASEAN can't meet all the needs of the new geopolitical era.

Negotiators prepare for UN climate summit openingAudioTranscript

Updated 04/12/2009 20:55:54

On Monday, the long-awaited UN summit on climate change gets underway in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, with the overall aim of coming up with a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Negotiators will be working frantically to resolve disputes over how much emissions should be cut by in poor and rich countries, and who's going to pay for it all. In week two, world leaders arrive for the ministerial summit, which winds up on the 18th of December.

PNG health experts say HIV infections rising in childrenAudioTranscript

Updated 04/12/2009 20:55:54

An agency working with HIV-positive children in Papua New Guinea says it is seeing a worrying rise in the number of infections. PNG already has the largest burden of HIV / AIDS cases in the Pacific, and the country's main source of funding for anti-retroviral drugs has just dried up. It is bad news for the government, which is trying to keep a promise to halt the spread of the epidemic within five years.

Imelda Marcos to run for Philippine Congress in 2010Audio

Updated 03/12/2009 21:13:48

In the Philippines the race for next year's national and local elections continues to generate controversy, with former first lady Imelda Marcos planning what she hopes will be a stunning political comback. The 80-year old widow of the late President Ferdinand Marcos will run in the northern Illocos Norte constituency - a Marcos stronghold. Next May's polls attracted controversy, after President Gloria Arroyo registered to run for a seat, when she leaves office. Also running is seven times world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

Australia, Indonesia investigate climate change optionsAudioTranscript

Updated 03/12/2009 21:13:48

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has returned from Washington to find his proposed climate change legislation in tatters. Mr Rudd will be going to the UN Copenhagen summit empty-handed, after the opposition blocked his proposed emissions trading legislation in the Senate. Mr Rudd says he'll reintroduce the legislation when parliament resumes in February, and today played down suggestions of calling early elections. Today the Australian debate on cutting emissions turned to nuclear power.

Afghan forces 'won't be ready' for US withdrawal in 2011AudioTranscript

Updated 03/12/2009 21:13:48

Political and military observers have been responding to US President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Taliban leaders have warned Washington all it can expect from sending more troops is more casualties. While the new commitment is 10,000 short of what Mr Obama's top military chief General Stanley McChrystal wanted, he says it'll be enough to turn the tide against the militants.

Indonesian journalists to screen controversial Australian filmAudioTranscript

Updated 03/12/2009 21:13:47

Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists is tonight screening the controversial film Balibo in Jakarta. Earlier this week both the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents' Club and the Jakarta Film Festival decided not to show the film, after receiving legal advice. The Festival's organisers said they had been informed that the Indonesian censorship board had banned the film, which describes the killing of five Western journalists by members of the Indonesian military in East Timor in 1975. Indonesian authorities reject the film's account of events, calling its content "offensive".

Anger over Commonwealth changes to HIV fundingAudio

Updated 03/12/2009 21:13:47

Pacific members of the Commonwealth have reacted angrily to a decision by the Commonwealth to change the way it funds the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Commonwealth Foundation, part of the bloc's secretariat which establishes and supports civil society, says it has reached the end of a three-year direct HIV/AIDS funding arrangement. The Foundation says groups now need to apply for grants, instead of receiving funding directly. The decision, made at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad, may make it harder for Pacific nations nations to fight back against the disease.

US troop increase in AfghanistanAudioTranscript

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:14

Barack Obama has signalled that he's boosting U-S troops in Afghanistan to over 100-thousand for the first time in one last push for some kind of victory, setting July 2011 as the goal for the beginning of withdrawal.

Booming Asian demand for broadband connectionsAudioTranscript

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:08

Booming Asian demand for broadband connections is helping to keep prices down in Australia. The popularity of video downloads along with expanding mobile phone and internet traffic readily fills up any new roll out by service providers. The latest under sea broadband cable connecting the region to the United States was finished last month.

Concern for investment in Indonesia's mining sectorAudioTranscript

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:08

Indonesia's peak mining body has warned investment in the sector for 2009 could drop below one-billion dollars for the first time in five years because of stalled changes to legislation.

25 years since Bhopal disasterAudio

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:13

This week marks 25 years since a massive gas leak in the Indian city of Bhopal, which has now killed up to thirty thousand people. It's often described as the world's worst industrial disaster and locals say people are still sick and dying from the leak to this day, and that the surrounding environment remains poisoned.

UN helps combat torture and ill-treatment in the PacificAudio

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:13

A United Nations official, whose job is to combat torture around the world, has just wrapped up a meeting of Pacific officials in Papua New Guinea. Professor Michael Nowak,
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Professor Michael Nowak, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment

Displaced Sri Lankan Tamils leave government campsAudio

Updated 02/12/2009 20:23:13

Internally displaced Tamils are starting to return to their homes after Sri Lanka's government gave permission for them to leave government camps where they've been detained since the country's civil war ended six months ago.

GEC could lead to hundreds more child deaths in the PacificAudio

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:49

The global economic crisis could lead to hundreds of extra child deaths in the Pacific, according to the United Nations Children's agency, UNICEF.
UNICEF Pacific's Director of Planning, Will Parks told a major international conference in Melbourne, today, that there is already evidence that the economic crisis is putting vulnerable children in an even worse position. The United Nations agency is about to launch a new real-time social monitoring system that will help Pacific governments respond quickly to the effects of the global economic crisis.

Human rights record in Indonesian province questionedAudioTranscript

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:49

Indonesia's poorest province, Papua is once again in the spotlight over its human rights record. Amnesty International has called for an investigation into what it's described as unchecked human rights violations by Indonesian police.

Trial date set for Malaysia's opposition leaderAudio

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:49

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been ordered to stand trial for sodomy on January 25, as a court turned down his bid to have the charges dismissed.

Presenter: Sonja Heydeman
Speakers: Lawyer for Anwar Ibrahim, Sankaran Nair

New leader for Australian Liberal PartyAudioTranscript

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:49

Australian Liberal Party M-Ps have voted out their leader Malcolm Turnbull over the divisive issue of climate change, but may have failed to find a unifying figure after days of bloodletting. Tony Abbott was elected by the narrowest of margins .. 42 votes to 41 .. in what some have called a battle for the Liberal Party's soul.

Fighting bulge one 'man girdle' at a timeAudio

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:44

Men's underwear sales in Australia and the UK are up, largely thanks to body-shaping garments.

Stimulus boost for Japanese budgetAudio

Updated 01/12/2009 20:30:44

The Japanese government has announced plans to boost its budget for the financial year with a stimulus worth over $US30 billion.