February 2008
FIJI: Ambassador brings Chinese ethanol investors
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:21
Another plan has emerged to make ethanol in Fiji. A group of Chinese investors is considering setting up a 27 million US dollar plant to produce ethanol from cassava. The Chinese entrepreneurs are currently in Fiji, hosted by Fiji's ambassador to China. But while those involved in Fiji's fuel industry seem alternately excited or unfazed by the project, the public response has been more cautious.
INDONESIA; Resolution over bird flu samples
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:21
An impasse over bird flu samples between the Indonesian Government and the World Health Organisation appears to be over. Jakarta has effectively ended the year-long dispute by sending samples of the virus to the W-H-O in the United States for analysis. The disagreement started when the Australian government, led by then Prime Minister John Howard, said it wouldn't share a new vaccine with the Indonesians. But now, it's the Rudd government which is being put on the spot over the vaccine.
EAST TIMOR: Flow-on effects of Reinado's death
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:21
As the hunt for the East Timorese rebels responsible for the February 11 attacks on the President and Prime Minister continues, the impact of rebel leader Alfredo Reinado's death is being felt strongly in the country. Hundreds of petitioning soldiers linked with Reinado and his cause have come to Dili to begin talks with the country's leaders about a peaceful reinstatement to the military. Some of the country's 100,000 displaced people are talking about leaving the IDP camps and going home.
THAILAND: Thai PM in talks with US envoy
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:21
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has told a senior US envoy that Thaksin Shinawatra will not run his government from behind the scenes, now that the deposed premier has returned from exile. Prime Minister Samak met with Christopher Hill, just one day after Mr Thaksin staged a dramatic homecoming after nearly a year and a half in self-imposed exile. Speaking in Thai at a news conference, Mr Thaksin said he believed he'd returned at the proper time to argue his case against accusations made against him and his family.
INDIA: Tiger numbers dwindle
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:19
The recent census of tigers in India has revealed the dwindling number of animals in the country's forests. It's raising considerable concern among environmentalists.
JAPAN: Alcohol study released
Updated 29/02/2008 20:43:20
Japanese researchers have found alcohol makes bad memories linger. The researchers, led by Tokyo University's professor Norio Matsuki, used lab rats to make the finding. Professor Matsuki says the study concluded that ethanol -- an intoxicating agent in alcohol -- does not cause memory to decrease but instead locks it in place.
FIJI: Media 'resembles failed state': report
Updated 28/02/2008 21:37:40
The author of a report on Fiji's media has compared the industry to a failed state. The report by Hawai based academic Doctor James Anthony was conducted on behalf of Fiji's Human Rights Commissioner Dr Shaista Shameen. Dr Anthony's report calls Fiji's media unprofessional, biased, politically connected, and dominated by foreign owners and reporters.
PHILIPPINES: Flooding claims 45 lives
Updated 28/02/2008 21:37:40
Persistent heavy rain has left 45 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in the Philippines. The Philppines Office of Civil Defence says landslides and floodings have affected 137 towns since last week, and displaced 873,000 residents who sought shelter in evacuation camps.
CHINA: Australia wants China to get serious about free trade talks.
Updated 28/02/2008 21:37:40
The Australian Government is reviewing its trade talks with China. As part of a broader review of trade policy, the new Labor Government in Canberra wants to know how serious Beijing is about reaching an agreement. Australia's negotiating team has previously accused China of delaying tactics in the three-year old talks. A successful bi-lateral trade deal is expected to bring multi-billion dollar benefits to Australia's economy.
THAILAND: Former PM home
Updated 28/02/2008 21:37:40
Despite facing corruption and tax evasion charges, Thailand's former Prime Minister has received a hero's welcome in Bangkok today. 17 months after he was forced from office in a bloodless coup, Mr Thaksin flew back to his homeland and spent his first day dealing with the charges.
VIETNAM: Shortage of skilled workers
Updated 28/02/2008 21:37:38
As Vietnam continues to record high economic growth, it's facing a critical shortage of up to 65,000 highly skilled workers .. needed to fill positions created by five global IT giants that use the country as a base for operations.
Vietnam's deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan was in Melbourne to highlight the need for assistance in skills training. He's also called for Australia's help with education reforms in an effort to raise the international standard of education in Vietnam.
VIETNAM: Anniversary of Australian ties
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:01
This week thirty-five years ago, Australia's Whitlam government established diplomatic relations with Hanoi. It was an extraordinary turnaround for the two nations after more than a decade of conflict. Indeed, the last elements of the Australian Army did not even leave Vietnam until June 1973 - several months after diplomatic relations were established.
TAIWAN: China offers economic incentives
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:01
China has announced an invitation to Taiwan doctors and new economic sweeteners ahead of next month's presidential elections. China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since their split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and has threatened to bring it back to the fold, by force if necessary. It has also offered the people of Taiwan a series of economic sweeteners while refusing to deal with its independence-minded President Chen Shui-bian.
MALAYSIA; Election campaign underway
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:01
Malaysia's high court has thrown out the appeal of five ethnic Indian activists challenging their detention under the country's draconian Internal Security Act. The decision comes during the first week of the country's election campaign - with rising ethnic divisions set to dominate the national debate. Opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim has unveiled his campaign platform - including a pledge to do away with the controversial race-based discrimination policies.
The opposition parties are vowing to cut the ruling coalition's size in parliament to less than a two thirds majority - down from 90 per cent.
INDONESIA: Calls for legal review
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:02
Indonesian Press organisations are calling on the country's judiciary to conduct a major review of defamation articles in the criminal code. Their calls come as a District Court in West Java sentenced a prominent journalist to three month's probation for publishing an opinion article that was deemed to have insulted the Attorney general's office.
The latest case is one of several that have cast doubts on press freedoms in Indonesia.
FIJI: Australian, NZ leaders condemn publisher's expulsion
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:02
The Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand have joined in condemning Fiji's expulsion of the publisher of the Fiji Sun. At talks in Canberra, Helen Clarke and Kevin Rudd also announced a new partnership between Australia and New Zealand to tackle issues facing the South Pacific. Mr Rudd says the two governments will give a total of one billion Australian dollars in aid to the region, and will deal jointly with regional challenges
ASIA: Islamic finance also affected by US subprime.
Updated 27/02/2008 21:33:00
Islamic finance based on Shariah law is enjoying a surge of interest in Asia. Increasing wealth and high oil prices are contributing to growth in the sector of 15 per-cent for each of the past three years. The market is now worth around 700-billion US dollars. Analysts say it should be even bigger but just like the rest of the world, its felt the effects of the US-generated shake-out in global financial markets.
SOUTH KOREA: New president vows to boost economic growth
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:32
South Korea's new president Lee Myung-bak has been inaugurated for a five year term. Mr Lee is vowing to boost growth, cut youth unemployment and raise global competitiveness.
FIJI: Ousted PM charged with abuse of office
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:32
Fiji's Independent Commission against Corruption has charged ousted Fijian prime minister Laisenian Qarase with four counts of abuse of office. The charges relate to Mr Qarase's alleged role in the conversion of a $US13 million loan to a grant.
AUSTRALIA: US alliance focus shifts to Afghanistan
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:32
The United States has reluctantly acquiesced to Australia's troop withdrawal from southern Iraq later this year and moved the alliance focus to Afghanistan. Australia says it won't add any further to the 1,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, but will look at more aid and sending extra Australian police.
INDONESIA: Hopes community radio will save lives in Papua
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:32
In the Indonesian province of Papua, and it's hoped that the construction of a community radio station in the central highlands will make the difference between life and death for tribespeople from this isolated region.
MALAYSIA: Election campaign gets underway
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:32
Campaigning for Malaysia's March 8 general election started on the weekend, with UMNO leader Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi vowing to seize a two-thirds majority. The polls are likely to be dominated by ethnic tensions and anger over rising prices.
ASIA: Asia cuts loose from US economy
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:31
Some analysts call it the great decoupling - Asia cutting loose from a United States economy about to topple over into recession. For the first time, Asia is strong enough not to 'catch a cold' when America 'sneezes'.
INDONESIA: Delays plague foreign investment in mining
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:31
Billions of dollars worth of mining investment destined for Indonesia is on hold because of long delays with new mining regulations. A lack of legal clarity plus several high profile disputes involving foreign mining companies are attracting negative publicity.
SOLOMONS: RAMSI 'can accommodate change'
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:31
The governments of Australia and Solomon Islands are both talking about a renewed role for the Solomons in RAMSI, regional assistance mission to Solomon Islands. Solomons Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua says he wants to see his government take a greater role in the RAMSI'S operations.
PAKISTAN: Opposition parties pledge coalition
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:31
They were once bitter rivals but now two of the driving forces in Pakistani politics are pledging to work together. The two opposition leaders - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the widowed husband of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari - have announced they'll form a coalition government.
SINGAPORE: IOC awards rights for Youth Olympics
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:28
The International Olympics Committee has awarded the rights to host the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games to Singapore. Despite stiff competition from Athens, Bangkok and Turin to host the event, it finally came down to a two horse race against Moscow.
NORTH KOREA: NY orchestra to perform in Pyongyang
Updated 26/02/2008 16:49:28
The famous strains of George Gershwin's An American in Paris are to be performed for the people of North Korea by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. It's the first performance by an American orchestra in North Korea and will be broadcast live throughout the country.
Australia: Rethink on US missile defence system
Updated 26/02/2008 21:18:09
Australia's new Labor Government previously rejected the missile defence system being developed by the United States as a threat to disarmament and destabilising to Asia. But now the Rudd Government is signalling a rethink about whether Australia will join the US States and Japan in creating an anti-missile system.
THAILAND: Govt speaker charged with vote buying
Updated 26/02/2008 21:18:09
On the eve of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's return from exile, the stage has been set for more political turmoil in Thailand. The government speaker from the pro-Thaksin People Power Party, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, has been charged with vote buying in the general elections last December.
FIJI: Deported newspaper publisher arrives in Sydney
Updated 26/02/2008 21:18:10
The deported publisher of the Fiji Sun Newspaper is in no doubt he was forced to leave Fiji because of his newspapers reporting of tax evasion allegations against an interim minister. The publisher, and Managing Editor of the "Fiji Sun" newspaper, Russell Hunter, arrived in Sydney after being declared a prohibited immigrant.
AUSTRALIA: New UN think tank on global 'mega cities'
Updated 26/02/2008 21:18:07
Social scientists say this century will be marked by the rise of the global mega city. Melbourne has been chosen as the heart of a global effort to combat the problems of city life.
BURMA: US extends 'smart sanctions' against junta
Updated 26/02/2008 21:18:07
The United States has extended financial sanctions against Burma in efforts to encourage Burma's neighbours to take similar actions. The measures are part of Washington's so-called "smart sanctions" targetting individuals who support or benefit from the military regime.
SINGAPORE: IOC awards rights for Youth Olympics
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:29
The International Olympics Committee has awarded the rights to host the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games to Singapore. Despite stiff competition from Athens, Bangkok and Turin to host the event, it finally came down to a two horse race against Moscow.
NORTH KOREA: NY orchestra to perform in Pyongyang
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:29
The famous strains of George Gershwin's An American in Paris are to be performed for the people of North Korea by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. It's the first performance by an American orchestra in North Korea and will be broadcast live throughout the country.
ASIA: Asia cuts loose from US economy
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:29
Some analysts call it the great decoupling - Asia cutting loose from a United States economy about to topple over into recession. For the first time, Asia is strong enough not to 'catch a cold' when America 'sneezes'.
INDONESIA: Delays plague foreign investment in mining
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:30
Billions of dollars worth of mining investment destined for Indonesia is on hold because of long delays with new mining regulations. A lack of legal clarity plus several high profile disputes involving foreign mining companies are attracting negative publicity.
SOLOMONS: RAMSI 'can accommodate change'
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:30
The governments of Australia and Solomon Islands are both talking about a renewed role for the Solomons in RAMSI, regional assistance mission to Solomon Islands. Solomons Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua says he wants to see his government take a greater role in the RAMSI'S operations.
PAKISTAN: Opposition parties pledge coalition
Updated 22/02/2008 21:24:30
They were once bitter rivals but now two of the driving forces in Pakistani politics are pledging to work together. The two opposition leaders - former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the widowed husband of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari - have announced they'll form a coalition government.
VIETNAM: State Bank moves against inflation
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:11
In Vietnam inflation is taking its toll across the economy. Vietnam's economic growth has been among the highest in Asia but now that's threatened by the rapidly rising cost of food, fuel, labour and credit.
HONG KONG: Journalist 'contemplated suicide' in jail
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:11
Freed Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong has revealed he contemplated suicide during his time in jail on what his supporters say were trumped-up charges of spying.
CAMBODIA: SRP aims to take government
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:12
Cambodia goes to the polls this July in an election that most observers expect will merely consolidate the power of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party. One man who hopes that is not the case is the leader of Cambodia's opposition Sam Rainsy.
AUSTRALIA: US Defence Secretary to arrive for talks
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:12
The United States Defence Secretary, Robert Gates has set out on a tour that will take him to Indonesia, Australia and India, and on to Turkey. Mr Gates talks in Canberra at the weekend will be very different in tone and subject matter than his other stops, because of the 55-year-old American alliance with Australia.
EAST TIMOR: President on road to recovery
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:12
The spirits of supporters of East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta have been lifted with the news that he is out of an induced coma. Dr Ramos Horta has undergone a series of operations at the Royal Darwin Hospital since being shot in a failed assassination attempt in East Timor ten days ago.
ASIA: UN conference promotes bugs as food
Updated 21/02/2008 21:40:07
Bugs are a part of life in many Asian countries. But humans can bite back - that's the theme of a UN workshop on the potential of forest insects from the Asia Pacific region as food.
AUSTRALIA: Choice of armed neutrality or US alliance
Updated 21/02/2008 19:44:30
An Australia defence expert is warning that the rise of China's will mean Australia ultimately has to choose between armed neutrality or an even closer alliance with the United States.
CHINA: Scholars call for more media, religious freedom
Updated 21/02/2008 19:44:30
China's top think tank has unveiled a bold new plan to loosen the reigns on media and religious freedom over the next twelve years. The authors don't mince words - warning that failing to change China's political 'backwardness' will lead to further civil unrest and affect economic development.
FIJI: Growing disquiet over Commodore's Council takeover
Updated 21/02/2008 19:44:30
There is growing disquiet in Fiji over Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's decision to secretly appoint himself chair of the country's Great Council of Chiefs. Commodore Bainimarama's decision to appoint himself chairman, and give himself the power to appoint new members, is seen as an insult by many Fijians.
BURMA: New constitution bans Suu Kyi from elections
Updated 21/02/2008 19:44:30
Burma's junta has unveiled a new constitution that effectively bans Aung San Suu Kyi from standing for election. The new basic law prevents the detained opposition leader from running in the elections because of her marriage to a foreigner.
INDIA: Child marriages still widespread
Updated 20/02/2008 21:32:33
India has been waging a campaign against the traditional practice of child marriagem, but a new study shows that the archaic practice continues unabated in many parts of the country.
NEPAL: Protests cause fuel shortages in capital
Updated 20/02/2008 21:32:33
In the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, political protests in the south have caused fuel shortages in the capital, Kathmandu. Nepal's supply of petrol, diesel and kerosene is usually imported from neighbouring India, but the roads are being blocked by protesters.
EAST TIMOR: Govt won't negotiate with rebels
Updated 19/02/2008 21:41:15
East Timor will no longer negotiate with renegade soldiers accused of attacking the nation's two top leaders last week. Acting President Fernando de Araujo says there'll be no more dialogue with Gastao Salsinha and the armed group which launched the February 11th attacks.
EAST TIMOR: Woman accused of president kidnap plot
Updated 19/02/2008 21:41:16
Police in East Timor have released the Australian woman arrested yesterday in relation to the attacks on the country's leaders last week. Authorities suspect the East Timorese Australian dual citizen, Angelita Pires, was involved in the planning of what is now being called an attempted kidnapping of the President, Jose Ramos Horta.
PAKISTAN: Opposition parties victorious in parliamentary elections
Updated 19/02/2008 21:41:16
The crushing electoral defeat of Pakistani President Musharaf's allies to the two main opposition parties offers little promise of political stability. If no party is able to secure a parliamentary majority, the scramble to form a coalition will begin.
AUSTRALIA: China expert recommends industry policy for Australia
Updated 19/02/2008 21:41:14
Australia, once a leading centre for solar energy research, has been told it needs to do more to retain scientific know-how. One of China's most succeessful businessmen says the Government needs a fresh national policy if its to regain its edge in renewable energy.
PACIFIC: Australian PM to visit Solomons, PNG
Updated 19/02/2008 21:41:14
The new Australian Government's focus on relations with the South Pacific is to be emphasised by a visit to Melanesia by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. Planning is under way for Mr Rudd to make a visit next month to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
PNG: Kokoda mine claims and fraud inquiry
Updated 18/02/2008 22:03:03
The war of words over the proposal to mine the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea is continuing. Local landowners and the Frontier Resources mining firm are both claiming the mine site does not take in the original path followed by Australian soldiers during World War II.
PHILIPPINES: High court challenge to condom ban
Updated 18/02/2008 22:03:03
Twenty Filippino citizens are hoping to overturn a government ban on access to free contraception and family planning services.
EAST ASIA: Women's special health needs in war or disaster
Updated 18/02/2008 22:03:03
A special program to guard women's health after conflicts or natural disasters is being introduced for East Asia and the South Pacific. The health effort is based on research that shows pregnancy and childbirth complications are the most common causes of death and disability among women forceD to flee their homes.
EAST TIMOR: Massacre grave site to be excavated
Updated 18/02/2008 22:03:03
A mass grave allegedly used to bury hundreds of East Timorese killed by Indonesian troops in 1991 is to be opened next month. A team of Australian forensic scientists will be led to the site where locals believe the bodies of between 200 and 400 people killed in the Santa Cruz massacre were quickly buried.
PAKISTAN: Opposition warning elections will be rigged
Updated 18/02/2008 22:03:02
President Pervez Musharraf has cast his ballot in a general election described as the most crucial in the country's history. President Musharraf's popularity has plunged over the past year as he purged the judiciary and imposed emergency rule - and both major opposition parties are warning they expect the election results will be rigged.
AUSTRALIA: Govt ready for seasonal worker plan
Updated 15/02/2008 21:48:15
The new chief of Australian policy for the South Pacific says the Rudd Labor Government is ready to consider a special plan for Pacific workers to do unskilled seasonal work in Australia. The Parliamentary Secretary for the South Pacific, Duncan Kerr says the success of the pilot scheme being run by New Zealand will shape Australian thinking.
BURMA: Ethnic leader murdered
Updated 15/02/2008 21:48:15
The leader of the biggest rebel group in Burma, the Karen National Union has been murdered in Thailand. Pado Manh Sha was shot twice at his home in Mae Sot on the Thai/Burma border on Thursday.
ETIMOR: Australian PM visits Dili
Updated 15/02/2008 21:48:15
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has wound up a lightning visit to East Timor with a strong message of support for the nation and good wishes for the President Jose Ramos Horta. The President is still recovering from gunshot wounds in Darwin hospital in Australia's Northern Territory.
CHINA: Crack down on unregistered web games
Updated 15/02/2008 21:48:14
The Chinese government has launched its latest campaign to limit internet use - with a particular focus on young people who spend large amounts of time playing games on the net. Media reports says 'Operation for Tomorrow' will crack down on unregistered websites offering games for download, as well as illegal internet cafes.
HONG KONG: Another heron found with bird flu
Updated 15/02/2008 21:48:14
Five years after avian influenza broke out across Asia, the region is still struggling to stop the virus spread. Not least in Hong Kong, where officials say another grey heron has been found dead and tested positive for the fatal H 5 N 1 strain of bird flu.
INDONESIA: Demonstrators call for dissolution of Papuan Council
Updated 14/02/2008 20:56:28
Hundreds of Papuans are reported to have held protests in Jayapura, the capital of the Indonesian province of Papua. The demonstrators want the Papuan People's Council, the MRP, to be dissolved, saying it's failed to protect the rights of indigenous Papuans in the province. The MRP was set up by Jakarta three years ago; the coalition of tribal chiefs were tasked with arbitration and speaking on behalf of traditional customs. But many Papuans feel the Council has failed to push their case for greater autonomy from Jakarta, or to protect the local community from human rights abuses.
ETIMOR: Reinado's petitioners fear being targeted
Updated 14/02/2008 20:57:00
Meantime Australian troops have set up check-points and are checking vehicles and people on the road to East Timor's Dare village, as the hunt for suspects in Monday's attacks continued. Some of Reinado's supporters, or petitioners, fear they'll be unfairly blamed.
AUSTRALIA: PM prepares to travel to East Timor
Updated 14/02/2008 20:57:16
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will visit East Timor on Friday, in the wake of Monday's attacks on the country's leaders. Mr Rudd says Australia will do everything it can to reinforce East Timor's government. His visit follows today's announcement that Dili is extending the state of emergency imposed after the assassination bids for ten days, until February the 23rd.
ETIMOR: Emotions run high at Alfredo Reinado's funeral
Updated 14/02/2008 20:58:21
There were emotional scenes in East Timor today, as supporters of fugitive rebel leader Alfredo Reinado attended his funeral. Reinado was shot dead on Monday as he and his supporters launched an assault on the home of President Jose Ramos Horta. Security forces still don't know whether the rebels' plan was to kill the president or kidnap him. International forces - including Australian troops - are searching mountainous territory to hunt down Reinado's many accomplices.
CHINA: Beijing urges West not to 'politicise' Olympics
Updated 14/02/2008 20:54:58
Chinese state media have accused Western nations of seeking to use this year's Olympics to unfairly pressure Beijing, saying boycotts by movie director Steven Spielberg and others have "disgusted" the Chinese people. On Wednesday Mr Spielberg said he was quitting as an artistic adviser to the Beijing Games because China was doing too little to help halt the bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region. Nine Nobel Peace laureates have written to President Hu Jintao urging a change of policy towards Sudan, where China has big oil investments.
AUST: Review of government support for automotive industry
Updated 14/02/2008 21:43:58
The Australian government is plannning to subsidise foreign companies to produce green cars just one week after Japan's Mitsubishi announced it was pulling out of the country. The plan has been welcomed by the trade unions and the main industry lobby group. A major policy review is to be held first to determine how best to support local expansion of the highly competitive industry.
PAKISTAN: Economy waiting for boost from election result.
Updated 13/02/2008 21:08:58
The Pakistan government has mobilised tens of thousands of troops around the country in the lead up to next week's election. The vote has been delayed by more than a month because of the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in December. Many commentators say Pakistan's economy is also on delay, held back by the policies of the military rule of President Pervez Musharraf. The sense of crisis and uncertainty of the recent past has done little to alter their view, which some say only a change of government can improve.
CAMBODIA: More food aid from Australia
Updated 13/02/2008 21:08:10
While Cambodia's economy has been growing rapidly in some areas, millions of Cambodians continue to go hungry each year, with some forced to survive on a single bowl rice a day. Now the World Food Programme has received an extra $US3.5 million from Australia, to get food to the country's poorest and most vulnerable.
MALAYSIA: Elections expected before 10 March
Updated 13/02/2008 21:08:10
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has dissolved parliament, paving the way for snap elections which are now likely to be held in early March. Voting must take place within 60 days of the dissolution of parliament, and a date will be set in the coming days by the Malaysian Election Commission. Mr Badawi told reporters his Barisan Nasional coalition is unlikely to see a repeat of its 2004 landslide victory, after losing support, particularly among ethnic Indian Malaysians, who've staged a series of protests in recent months over allegations of discrimination. Elections didn't need to be held in Malaysia until next year, and many believe Mr Badawi wants to time the vote to exclude former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, from contesting the ballot. Dr Anwar is banned from politics until April, as a result of a corruption conviction 9 years ago.
AUSTRALIA: Aboriginal people welcome PM's apology
Updated 13/02/2008 21:11:42
Mr Rudd's speech was delivered to a packed Parliament House, where hundreds of people crowded into the public gallery, many of them members of the Stolen Generation, who'd waited decades to hear the apology they received today. Former leaders were also present, including former prime minister, Paul Keating. But members of the Stolen Generations and their families were the guests of honour, and many wept openly as the Prime Minister spoke.
AUSTRALIA: Parliament officially apologises to Aborigines
Updated 13/02/2008 21:12:59
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has delivered a historic apology to Aboriginal peoples, and has especially said sorry to the so-called Stolen Generations; those Aborigines taken from their families and brought up in white society from the mid-19th century through to the 1970s. Members of parliament and those in the public gallery gave Mr Rudd a standing ovation, for a speech that promised to turn a new page in Australian history. Mr Rudd also proposed a joint commission with the opposition to chart future policy to help Aborigines, and to begin work on a symbolic recognition of Aborigines in the Australian Constitution.
THAILAND: Anger as government reviews cheap drugs
Updated 12/02/2008 20:39:40
The new Thai government has announced a review of access to low cost drugs through compulsory licensing after pressure was brought to bear by the United States Trade Representative by placing Thailand on a Special trade watch list. Bangkok Thai health policy activists and those working with the HIV/Aids community are calling on the government to stand firm on the policy of offering low cost medicines.
JAPAN: US Marine arrested for suspected Okinawa rape
Updated 12/02/2008 20:39:40
Parents in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa have been told not let their children go to school by themselves, after a US Marine was arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping a teenage girl. The alleged attack by 38-year-old Tyrone Hadnott was condemned in the Japanese parliament on Tuesday by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
The arrested marine has denied the allegations, but his arrest rekindled horrific memories for Okinawans from 1995, when three Marines were convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl. That incident soured relations between the United States and Japan, and played a role in a joint US-Japanese decision, reached a year later, to move most of the American personnel on Okinawa to Guam by 2012.
SOLOMON IS: PM lays out reform policies
Updated 12/02/2008 20:40:09
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua has laid out his government's plans for policies and reforms, which will include spreading national resources to remote regions of the Pacific nation. Dr Sikua has said he hopes his policy platform will end years of political infighting, ethnic disputes, economic mismanagement and corruption. The plan to distribute resources more widely was something former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare also pushed for, but his "bottom-up" approach failed to win support from civil society, aid donors and NGOs. Dr Sikua's hoping his framework, which he's called consultative and inclusive, will get a warmer welcome.
ETIMOR: More Australian troops arrive in Dili
Updated 12/02/2008 21:12:44
Extra Australian troops have arrived in Dili to ensure stability after the assassination attempt on the President, Jose Ramos Horta. The President is in Royal Darwin Hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable, and he's facing at least two more operations. The Australian Government has pledged full support for East Timor.
ETIMOR: Dili 'quiet' under state of emergency
Updated 12/02/2008 21:12:52
It's been a quiet day on the streets of the East Timorese capital Dili, with a 48-hour state of emergency still in place after the attempted assassination of President Jose Ramos Horta on Monday. As news of the assassination attempts on President Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao sank in across the country, the focus is now shifting to the investigation into the attacks. Police have yet to make any arrests in relation to Monday's attacks.
AUST/US MILITARY: Importance of collaboration in counter terrorism
Updated 11/02/2008 21:24:15
One of the United States' most senior military commanders says the US and Australia should be cooperating more on counter-terrorism measures and intelligence sharing in Asia. As Commander of the US Northern Command, Airforce General Gene Renuart is responsible for the homeland defence of America including against chemical, biological or nuclear attacks by air. The Northern Command was established after the 9/11 attacks on Washington and New York, as a joint operation with Canada. It serves as an early warning system against potential aerospace or maritime threats. General Renuart has held the command for almost a year and visited Australia last week.
INDIA: Calls for developed world to help combat pollution
Updated 11/02/2008 21:01:23
India's Science and Technology Minister has given a stinging reproof to developed nations for not doing enough to help poorer countries combat climate change and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Shri Kapil Sibal says wealthy nations need to share whatever technologies they have to help developing states bring emissions down and reduce pollution.
AUSTRALIA: Government prepares to apologise to Stolen Generation
Updated 11/02/2008 21:24:07
The Australian government is preparing to make its long-awaited apology to the "Stolen Generations" - the Aboriginal children taken from their families under national policy between 1869 and the early 1970s. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will give the the apology on the opening day of parliament on Wednesday. The apology is not expected to contain any offers of compensation, and many of those travelling to Canberra to hear the government apologise are to protest over the issue of reparation. Mr Rudd's government has also said will make more use of Aboriginal ceremonies and culture in official events, which has been warmly welcomed by indigenous leaders across the region.
AUSTRALIA: More troops to be sent to ETimor
Updated 11/02/2008 21:24:21
The Australian Government is flying 120 extra soldiers and 70 more police to East Timor, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he'll visit Dili later this week to show support for East Timor's government. Mr Rudd blamed rogue elements in East Timor for the attacks on President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Gusmao.
ETIMOR: Dili tense after attack on President Ramos-Horta
Updated 11/02/2008 21:24:28
The East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta has been flown to the northern Australian city of Darwin, where he's been receiving emergency medical treatment for gunshot wounds. Doctors at Royal Darwin Hospital say they're hopeful he'll make a full recovery. Dr Ramos-Horta was shot at least twice in the stomach on Monday morning outside his Dili home, during a gun-battle between his bodyguards and a raiding force led by the rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado. Major Reinado was killed in the gunfire. A similar attack targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unhurt and later appealed for calm, calling the attacks an attempted coup. The attacks have been condemned by East Timor's main opposition party Fretilin.
PAKISTAN: Indian films 'could threaten; local industry
Updated 08/02/2008 21:04:34
Pakistani filmmakers have long played second fiddle to their peers across the border in India's Bollywood. While Indian films have spawned a multi-million-dollar industry, the Pakistani film industry has struggled for years. So the news that Pakistan's cabinet is considering lifting a 43-year-old ban on Hindi films has the local industry worried.
ASIA: Rice price hikes hit poor communities
Updated 08/02/2008 21:04:34
In the past year food prices have climbed steadily the world over, leading to warnings from the World Food Program that some states are heading towards being unable to afford to feed themselves. For the Asia Pacific region, the commodity of greatest concern is rice. The cost of rice is now at a 20-year high, after prices rose by around 50 percent last year.
ASIA: Tobacco epidemic could kill 1 billion
Updated 08/02/2008 21:07:30
Up to 100 million people died as a result of using tobacco in the 20th century, and the latest global report on smoking by the World Health Organisation warns the 21st century death toll could top one billion. The majority of those deaths will be in Asia, where China alone accounts for nearly a third of the world's smokers. The WHO says the world's governments pocket around 200-billion US dollars a year in tobacco taxes. It's urging them to spend more of that money on tobacco control, and to enforce bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
NAURU: Last asylum seekers leave
Updated 08/02/2008 21:08:21
Australia's controversial Pacific Solution came to an end today, with the last 21 asylum seekers flying out of Nauru on Friday. The 21 Sri Lankan nationals will settle in various parts of Australia, leaving behind an empty centre whose staff will now have to find new jobs. More than 1,300 people were held on Nauru in the years since 2001; hundreds more were detained on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island until that centre closed four years ago. Australia still operates a large detention centre on its Indian Ocean territory, Christmas Island. However the United Nations has welcomed the end of Canbera's "Pacific Solution".
PAKISTAN: Bhutto inquiry confirms assassin was suicide bomber
Updated 08/02/2008 21:08:55
A British Police report into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto says the Pakistani opposition leader was killed by a suicide bomb not by gunfire. It also found there was just one, not two attackers. Bhutto was murdered during an election rally last year shortly after she returned from exile to contest forthcoming elections. Her death has further destabilised the troubled nation whose leader President Pervez Musharraf is under growing pressure to step down. The Government's insistence from the outset that there was no gunman has angered Bhutto's party, the Pakistan People's Party. The PPP is continuing to call for a United Nations investigation, claiming the Government's investigation has failed to reveal the truth or expose the real culprits.
AFGHANISTAN: Britain 'planned to train Taliban defectors'
Updated 07/02/2008 13:54:31
US Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice has flown into London for talks on how to rescue the crumbling NATO alliance in Afghanistan. It comes as relations between London and Kabul hit a new low, over reports of a secret Britain plan to train Taliban defectors in troubled Helmand province. Those reports may explain why two British nationals working for the UN and EU were expelled from Afghanistan late last year. Kabul's resulting anger is also reported to be partly why it knocked back senior British diplomat Paddy Ashdown as its UN special envoy.
BANGLADESH: Sheikh Hasina scores interim victory
Updated 07/02/2008 20:41:39
Detained former Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina Wajed has scored a interim victory against the army-backed government with a court ruling that she couldn't be tried for corruption under emergency laws. The former premier is one of around 150 high-profile figures arrested as part of an anti-graft drive by the emergency government, which took office in January last year. The case is being tried by a special fast-track court, but the High Court has proclaimed this illegal and in an unexpected development, the High Court also quashed the case against Sheikh Hasina.
PHILIPPINES: Arroyo fights corruption charges
Updated 07/02/2008 20:41:39
Filipino president Gloria Arroyo is once again using all her political armour to fight off the latest corruption allegations against her. But in this case the charges are coming from the man who was once her closest political ally. Jose de Venecia has just been ousted as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It's said to be payback after his businessman son testified that Mrs Arroyo's husband received lucrative kickbacks from a state contract. Now the former speaker has his own serious charges to make against the woman he's spent much of his career protecting.
THAILAND: Samak's cabinet of Thaksin loyalists
Updated 07/02/2008 20:41:39
There are plenty of familiar faces in Thailand's new cabinet .. which was given the royal seal of approval in a ceremony last night. The 27-member team replaces the military-backed government which took power in late 2006 after the military coup and became widely unpopular after a series of policy misteps and mistakes. But many Thais are just as wary of the team assembled by the new Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej.
CHINA: Stranded workers celebrate New Year
Updated 07/02/2008 20:41:34
China's harshest winter snow storms in decades made it impossible for millions of workers to get home for the New Year festival. But, in the manufacturing cities of China's south, stranded workers have joined locals on the streets to ring in the New Year and make the best of a gloomy situation.
SAMOA: Coconut oil production to start
Updated 07/02/2008 20:41:34
As a new coconut oil plant In Samoa prepares to start production, Pacific countries have been warned that coconut oil is not the answer to all their fuel problems. The warning comes as the new Pacific Oil company prepares to start operating in April and as more countries in the region consider coconut oil as an alternative to petrol
AUST: Interest rate rise puts pressure on households
Updated 06/02/2008 16:15:44
Australia's central bank has responded to inflation pressure with another rise in official interest rates - the third in seven months. And it might not be the last, and that's bad news for house-holders and businesses with high debt levels. Australians have amassed record levels of personal debt - even approaching those in the United States. But unlike in the US, where rates are coming down, the Bank's Board of Directors wasn't swayed by evidence of increasing financial stress in some sectors in Australia. And inflation will remain the main target of central banks in Australia and parts of Asia for the foreseeable future.
CHINA: Extreme weather dampens New Year celebrations
Updated 06/02/2008 21:11:35
At midnight tonight hundreds of millions of Chinese people the world over will celebrate the lunar New Year. But China's worst winter in half a century has stopped hundreds of thousands of people from making the trip home they've looked forward to all year.
SOUTH KOREA: Religious leaders 'should pay tax'
Updated 06/02/2008 21:11:35
A television expose of the expensive lifestyles enjoyed by some South Korean religious leaders has caused a public outcry, with calls for highly-paid pastors and priests to pay income tax. The televised documentary showed Christian pastors and Buddhist priests driving expensive cars and living in luxury homes. The broadcaster's website's been bombarded with messages demanding that the government end tax exemptions for religious leaders.
INDONESIA: Another Bulog chairman jailed for corruption
Updated 06/02/2008 21:13:43
The already tarnished image of Indonesia's National Logistic Agency for basic foodstuffs, BULOG, was damaged even further this week, after its latest chairman, Widjanarko Puspoyo, was jailed on corruption charges. Mr Puspoyo's been given a ten-year sentence - making him Bulog's fourth chairman in a row to wind up behind bars for graft. But the agency is proving difficult to reform, with analysts saying it's become an easy source of money for Indonesian political parties.
AUSTRALIA: Mitsubishi closure could benefit Thailand industry
Updated 06/02/2008 21:15:40
The decision by Mitsubishi Motors to quit car making in Australia will boost the industry in Thailand and as far afield as Russia. The Japanese company announced yesterday its decision to finally close its struggling plant in Australia and shift production to new facilities in Russia and possibly China. The Australian closure will cause almost 1,000 local job losses but help Mitsubishi meet its profit forecast for this financial year. Meanwhile the State Government of South Australia is pondering its chances of asking for the return of the $30 million in subsidies its given the company in recent years.
INDIA: Sania Mirza withdraws from tournament, citing pressure
Updated 05/02/2008 21:04:23
India's rising tennis star Sania Mirza has pulled out of next month's Bangalore Open, saying she's under too much pressure at home. Mirza helped defeat Australia in last month's Hopman Cup in Perth, and got to the third-round of the recent Australian Open, but she's been criticised by religious groups for her short skirts and sleeveless tops on the court. She's also been forced to apologise to mosque officials in her hometown for shooting an advertisement on mosque property, and is facing a court summons in Bhopal over a photo taken of her in Perth, showing her feet close to an Indian flag. News of her withdrawal from the Bangalore tournament has disappointed her huge fanbase in India.
ASIA: Competition for Central Asian influence heats up
Updated 05/02/2008 21:04:23
Central Asia doesn't make the headlines very often, but its resources and location make the nations that comprise the region of vital strategic importance to the world's great powers. In recent days the United States has held its first talks with Uzbekistan since relations were frozen three years ago over Washington's censure of Tashkent's treatment of anti-government protestors. And in nearby Tajikistan, Russia has stepped in to block India's plans to set up a military outpost near the capital Dushanbe.
INDONESIA: Stabilisation package tries to halt price rises
Updated 05/02/2008 21:07:19
The Indonesian government has prepared a policy package aimed at stabilising the price of basic commodities such as soybeans, cooking oil and kerosene. Jakarta plans to reduce taxes and import duties on these goods, and exempt them from export taxes .. after their prices rose by at least 50 percent since late November.
THAILAND: PM to submit cabinet plans to king
Updated 05/02/2008 21:07:44
Thailand's new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, is expected to submit his proposed cabinet line-up to the king on Wednesday. That would clear the way for the government of Mr Samak's People Power Party to be sworn in, six weeks after winning general elections. But it may not all be plain sailing. At the weekend Mr Samak announced he was taking over the post of Defence Minister, in what's being seen as a bid to prevent the military ousting his government, as it did with his predecessor and ally, Thaksin Shinawatra.
SRI LANKA: Civil war fears mar 60th independence anniversary
Updated 05/02/2008 16:58:59
Sri Lanka is marking 60 years since winning independence from Britain, but the celebrations are taking place amid heightened security, after a series of bomb attacks at the weekend in which at least 34 people died. On Monday a parade of tanks, troops and rocket launchers passed through the capital Colombo in a show of military might by the island's government. But parts of the city were closed down and mobile phone text message services were blocked, in a bid to prevent further violence.
AUSTRALIA: Battle for Rio Tinto heats up
Updated 04/02/2008 20:56:28
The battle for Australian mining company Rio Tinto is heating up. The surprise raid on Rio's London shares by a Chinese company on Friday has increased the pressure on the world's biggest miner, BHP Billiton to improve its offer for Rio. With Wednesday's deadline fast approaching, BHP's Board has been given a pointer on how much more it will need to pay to secure its prize.
PAKISTAN: Senior al Qaeda leader 'killed in missile strike'
Updated 04/02/2008 13:29:16
A senior al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan has been killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan. Abu Laith al-Libi is considered one of al-Qaeda's most senior field commanders in Afghanistan.
NZ: Researchers promise no-tears onion
Updated 04/02/2008 20:46:47
The tears we shed when we cut onions are caused by a gene which produces an enzyme in onions which stimulates tear-glands. Researchers in New Zealand are working on a tear-less onion.
MALAYSIA: Indian community expected to desert ruling party
Updated 04/02/2008 20:57:06
Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has admitted his ruling Barisan Nasional party can expect to lose support from many ethnic Indian voters in the next elections. Ill-feeling in Malaysia's Indian community has been growing for some time, and a rally by more than 20,000 ethnic Indians in November led to the indefinite jailings of five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force. Mr Badawi told The Star newspaper at the weekend the anger amongst ethnic Indians will almost certainly cost him votes. General elections are expected to be called as early as next month, although they don't need to be held until 2009.
PACIFIC: Solomons, Fiji counting Cyclone Gene cost
Updated 04/02/2008 20:57:44
As Cyclone Gene swept south towards New Zealand, Pacific island nations have been taking stock of the damage left in the wake of the storm. Solomon Islands was particularly hit by heavy rain, and officials have been assessing the situation and working on getting food and supplies to damaged areas. Fiji was worst hit, after the storm changed direction and caught many by surprise.
AUSTRALIA: Lombok Afghans 'offered' humanitarian visas
Updated 01/02/2008 13:29:10
Six years after leaving Afghanistan bound for Australia, only to be stranded on the Indonesian island of Lombok, nine Afghan refugees have been offered an Australian visa on humanitarian grounds. The nine family members are part of a group of 21 Afghan children and adults waiting in Indonesia to hear the outcome of their asylum applications. Last month Indonesian police sent several men from the group to a prison 400 kilometres from Lombok; immigration advocacy groups believe this may be an effort to convince them to accept voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan.
INDIA: Unholy row over shipping chanel
Updated 01/02/2008 20:43:03
The Indian government is fighting a case in the Supreme Court, trying to unblock a $US600 million infrastructure project first dreamed of nearly 150 years ago. The idea of a shipping channel between Sri Lanka and India was first drafted in 1860, but it's yet to become a reality, although it would cut transport time for freight ships by around 30 hours. The stumbling block that's brought the project to the Supreme Court is that the channel's proposed route would take it through a Hindu holy site.
TAIWAN: President's Spratly visit 'will stir up protest'
Updated 01/02/2008 20:43:03
Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian is planning a visit to the disputed Spratly Islands. News of the president's plans came as it emerged Taiwan has also staged a clandestine test flight on its newly finished runway on Spratly's Taiping Island. The revelations have already drawn a protest from Vietnam, and likely to anger other countries with claims over the oil-rich islands - China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.
MACAU: Former minister jailed in anti-corruption drive
Updated 01/02/2008 20:44:22
One of Macau's highest-ranking officials was jailed for 27 years this week on charges of money-laundering and corruption, as part of the southern Chinese territory's efforts to rebrand itself an "eastern Las Vegas". Ao Man-Long was a former secretary for transport and public works. He was found guilty of pocketing tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks during his seven years in office. But analysts warn Mr Ao's high-profile trial is just the start if Macau is serious about cleaning up its image.
AUSTRALIA: Lombok Afghans offered humanitarian visas
Updated 01/02/2008 20:44:56
Six years after leaving Afghanistan bound for Australia, only to be stranded on the Indonesian island of Lombok, nine Afghan refugees have been offered an Australian visa on humanitarian grounds. The nine family members are part of a group of 21 Afghan children and adults waiting in Indonesia to hear the outcome of their asylum applications. Last month Indonesian police sent several men from the group to a prison 400 kilometres from Lombok; immigration advocacy groups believe this may be an effort to convince them to accept voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan. The decision to let some of the group enter Australia comes as Canberra prepares to close down its immigration detention centre on the Pacific island of Nauru.
PAKISTAN: Senior al Qaeda leader 'killed in missile strike'
Updated 01/02/2008 20:45:01
A senior al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan has been killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan. Abu Laith al-Libi is considered one of al-Qaeda's most senior field commanders in Afghanistan.
