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US and Myanmar edge toward rapport
What triggers former foes to become friends and then listen to each other on their mutual interests is a puzzle for political scientists. But it's a process we see in the bilateral relations of the US and Myanmar.Until a year ago, Myanmar faced sanctions and its former military generals were denied visas for the US. The dual-track policy of the Obama administration, which began in 2009, has ...
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Nepal investigates illegal Everest broadcast
Nepal A British mountaineer's interview with the BBC on his smartphone from the top of Mount Everest has stirred controversy, with the Nepalese government calling the broadcast "illegal".British mountaineer Daniel Hughes gave a live video interview to the BBC on his smartphone from the 8,848-metres peak on Sunday morning."This is the world's first live video call - ...
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Do you know your Dakar from your Dhaka Airline mix-up sends couple 7000 miles off-course to wrong continent
All irritating, no doubt; but spare a thought for US couple Sandy Valdiviseo and her husband Triet Vo who ended up 7,000 miles from their destination after an airport code mix-up.The couple had planned to fly from Los Angeles to Dakar, Senegal, but instead found themselves 7,000 miles away in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after their carrier mixed up the airport codes.The bizarre situation resulted in a ...
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GM revs up Asean expansion
The Chevrolet Spin mini-MPV is being assembled in Indonesia for sale throughout Asia including Thailand, where prices will start around 760,000 baht. "For Asean as a whole, all we can see is huge growth and enormous opportunities. The umbrella strategy is ‘build where you sell, and source where you build’," said Martin Apfel, president of GM’s Southeast Asia ...
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Pervez Musharraf gets bail in Benazir Bhutto assassination case
A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf who has been under house arrest on charges of failing to provide adequate security for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her 2007 assassination.Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, returned to Pakistan in March after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general ...
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Pakistan turns off air-conditioners and tells civil servants to ditch socks
Pakistan has told its civil servants not to wear socks as the country turns off air-conditioners amid soaring temperatures to deal with chronic power cuts.The government has turned off all air-conditioning in its offices as the country endures blackouts of up to 20 hours a day in some places."There shall be no more use of air-conditioners in public offices till such time that substantial ...
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Imran Khans party wins Karachi seat election rerun
KARACHI (AFP) - The party of former Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan secured victory in a repeat election held in one constituency of violence-plagued Karachi, election officials said Monday.Voting was held under tight security in 43 polling stations on Sunday, a day after a senior official of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party was shot dead outside her home in the city.Polling was re-run ...
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Citing experience SBY names Chatib finance minister
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is praising Chatib Basri, his new finance minister, as an economist with extensive experience.Under the one year that Chatib led the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), investments in Indonesia grew significantly and contributed to the economic growth, he said."When we and several other countries experienced declining exports, investments have become the ...
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Nepal considers plan to expand fibre coverage
Nepal's minister for information and communications Madhav Prasad Paudel has said the government is committed to improving its fibre-optic links in the country, specifically through the deployment of optical networks along highways and trunk roads. e-Kantipur notes that the state's backing of the plan comes at a time when its efforts to roll out the district optical fibre project are ...
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Indonesian minorities slam Yudhoyonos interfaith award
JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian religious minorities on Monday slammed a decision by a United States interfaith group to honour President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, at a time when attacks against minority faiths are on the increase. The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, which campaigns against crimes committed in the name of religion, has named Dr Yudhoyono its World Statesman of 2013, and he is due ...
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Former Pak dictator Pervez Musharraf granted bail
Pervez Musharraf became the first former army chief to be arrested, breaking an unwritten rule that the top ranks of the military are untouchable, even after they have ...
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Bad debts falling in Vietnams ailing banks govt says
HANOI | Mon May 20, 2013 7:29am EDT HANOI May 20 (Reuters) - The ratio of non-performing loans held by Vietnam's troubled banks eased slightly in the first quarter as they have become better at controlling bad debt, though the overall level of NPLs remained high, the government said on Monday. Bad loans are a key factor stifling Vietnam's economic revival. The country's ...
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Nepal takes issue with troubled BBCs Everest video
(21 mins ago) A British mountaineer's interview with the UK state broadcaster BBC on his smart phone from the top of Mount Everest has stirred controversy in Nepal where the government is calling the broadcast ';illegal'', officials said. Mountaineer Daniel Hughes went live on BBC via his smart phone from the 8,848-meter peak on Sunday morning. It was also seen on Asia ...
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Pakistans Musharraf granted bail
A LAWYER for Pakistan's former military ruler says a judge has granted Pervez Musharraf bail in a case related to the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Despite the bail, the former military strongman is to remain under house arrest on the outskirts of Islamabad in connection with two other cases against him. Lawyer Salman Safdar said Monday that the bail was about $US20,000 ...
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Nepal investigating Everest call
A BRITISH mountaineer's interview with the BBC on his smartphone from the top of Mount Everest has stirred controversy with the Nepalese government calling the broadcast "illegal", officials said Monday. British mountaineer Daniel Hughes gave a live video interview to the BBC on his smartphone from the 8,848-metres (29,029-feet) peak on Sunday morning. "This is the world's ...
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Pakistani judge orders Musharraf held for 14 days
A Pakistani judge ordered Pervez Musharraf be held in custody for two more weeks, until the next hearing in a case related to his 2007 decision to sack and detain several ...
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Activists Say 23 Hezbollah Militants Killed in Syria Fighting
Citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrians inspecting the rubble of damaged buildings due to government airstrikes, in Qusair, Homs province, Syria, May 18, ...
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Poor Countries Lack Modern Contraception
A new study says little is being done to meet the growing demand for modern contraception methods in poor countries. The Guttmacher Institute says there’s an increasing desire for smaller families. Guttmacher says between 2003 and 2012 the number of women wanting to avoid pregnancy – and in need of modern contraception – rose from 716 million to 867 million. The sharpest ...
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Taiwan delegation gears up for WHA
Taiwan Today By Meg Chang A delegation headed by ROC Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta is attending the 2013 World Health Assembly May 20 to 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to the DOH May 17. The 20-member representation is expected to deliver reports on 19 technical and six follow-up issues, covering topics such as enhancing health systems; promoting health care; responding to ...
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ROC government reassures Philippine expats
Taiwan Today The ROC government moved May 19 to reassure Filipinos living and working in Taiwan that their rights will not be detrimentally impacted by the recent fatal attack on a Taiwan fishing boat by a Philippine government vessel. The assurances were made by ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Council of Labor Affairs officials during a visit to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Taipei ...
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UPDATE 3-Indonesia names new finance minister wins praise
Mon May 20, 2013 6:44am EDT * Former investment chief named finance minister * Economists praise choice * Slowing growth, bloated subsidy bill big challenges * Basri is protege of former finance minister (Updates with reaction, context) By Rieka Rahadiana and Andjarsari Paramaditha JAKARTA, May 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia named its respected investment chief as finance minister on Monday as ...
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Campaign to raise questions over GPO chiefs sacking
A health advocacy group Monday kicked off its campaign to protest the sacking of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO)'s chief Witit Artavatkun. Deputy Public Health Minister Chonlanan Srikaew will Tuesday ask for Cabinet's approval for the sacking of Witit. The move comes after Public Health Minister Pradith Sinthawanarong on Friday signed an official letter ordering ...
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SE Asia Stocks-Indonesia jumps after new finmin Thailand at new high
BANGKOK, May 20 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets gained on Monday as optimism about global growth lifted sentiment in overseas markets while Indonesia's main index rose to a new all-time closing high, after the appointment of a new finance minister. Jakarta's Composite Index ended up 1.4 percent at 5,214.97, pushing up its year-to-date gain to 21 percent, Southeast Asia's ...
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Gunmen Attack Polio Workers in Pakistani Tribal Belt
PESHAWAR, Pakistan ...
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Asian death wave tops a year of big disasters
The earthquake and tidal waves that took the lives of more than 23,000 in countries around the Indian Ocean was the latest and biggest of a series of natural disasters in 2004, one of the worst years in recent memory. The other events include:February 24Morocco. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit the northeastern region of Al Hoceima, killing 628 and injuring more than 900. March ...
South East Asia Digest
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Southeast Asia's growing prominence in world trade
Southeast Asia has been, for many centuries, a major part of world trade and the recent recession has not hampered this position as the region is recovering much faster than many more developed countries.
Southeast Asia, although geographically large, covering an area of around 5 million square miles, is comparatively small economically in relation to the number of people that inhabit the area. The Southeast Asian region is home to over 500 million people and yet the region’s GDP is just US$1.5 trillion, or around US$2,500 per person annually. Read more
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