Provides the latest RSS feeds for Asia Pacific News. For more headlines on Breaking, National, Business, Finance, Sports and World News, visit our home page Asia Bulletin.com http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/cat/4a8b544d0e80ba53/ en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:59:55 -0400 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:59:55 -0400 30 High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater near the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, the plant operator said Wednesday. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed Strontium-90 was present at 30 times the legal rate, BBC reported. The radioactive isotope tritium was also detected at elevated levels. The nuclear plant was crippled by ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293689/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:10:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293689/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least 80 Sri Lankans were detained by the navy Wednesday for attempting to illegally migrate to Australia, the navy said. The trawler in which the detainees were travelling was intercepted by the navy. They were handed over to police for investigation, Xinhua reported. On May 30, as many as 52 Sri Lankans were detained, and later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department. The ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292518/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:10:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292518/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Police in Australia charged a man Wednesday in connection with a vicious gang attack on the owner of an Indian restaurateur earlier this month. The 19-year-old man handed himself in to the police in connection with the attack on Himanshu Goyal, 22, while he was closing his restaurant in Bridge Mall at Ballarat in the Australian state of Victoria June 7, according to media reports. The eight ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291650/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:50:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291650/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Cricket Australia has rejected claims by Channel 9 that it would influence team selection and scheduling as part of its new deal on TV rights. The channel's managing director Jeff Browne said that as part of the network's 400 million dollars deal for international cricket rights, he expected to have a say in both matters. But CA chief executive James Sutherland rejected the deal's impact, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291649/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:50:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291649/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Sri Lankan external affairs minister has asked the Tamil refugees in Australia who fled the nation's bloody civil war to come home. The Tamils had quietly slipped into Canberra for talks on combating people smugglers. According to the Age, G.L. Peiris said Sri Lanka was now in a perfectly stable condition, with an economic boom in the once devastated northern Tamil regions. He, however, warned ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291538/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291538/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Second seed Li Na of China defeated French woman Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Aegon International here. Li, French Open champion two years ago but beaten in the second round at Roland Garros earlier this month, will next take on former champion Marion Bartoli of France, reports Xinhua. Fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki, the former World No.1, led Tamira Paszek 6-2, 2-2 ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290618/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:10:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290618/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Cricket Australia's (CA) National Selection Panel (NSP) Wednesday named a 15-man squad for Australia A's tour to Africa in July and August. All-rounder Steve Smith will lead the side, and right-hand bat Aaron Finch has been named as his deputy. The side will play three four-day matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa A in July before the tri-series involving South Africa A and India A in ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289793/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:40:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289793/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 East Japan Railway Co. has started testing a sign-language interpretation service in Tokyo on Monday using a videophone application on an Apple iPad tablet for guiding hearing-impaired people. According to the Japan Times, the company earlier used written messages for guiding such people. Through this application, passengers at information booth can use sign-language to ask their queries to a ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289716/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:10:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289716/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Japan Credit Bureau (JCB), in collaboration with Hua Nan Bank, has announced that it will launch the Nua Nan Bank JCB LOVE TSCC Debit Card in Taiwan in August. It is the first debit card that has an option to be equipped with TSCC, a contactless payment service which can be used as a fare card on trains and buses. The debit card will also be accepted at some shops and restaurants. In ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289582/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:50:03 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289582/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Japan registered 993.9 billion yen of goods trade deficit in May, the government said Wednesday. Exports increased 10.1 percent from a year earlier, while imports rose 10 percent, the finance ministry said in a preliminary report. The figures were calculated on a customs-cleared basis, reported ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:10:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288765/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The trial of a former official embroiled in a sex tape scandal opened Wednesday in a court in southwest China's Chongqing city. The Chongqing No.1 Intermediate People's Court will hear the case of Lei Zhengfu, former secretary of Chongqing's Beibei district committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Lei, who also stands accused of accepting bribes, was dismissed from his post and placed ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288760/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:50:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288760/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Retired soccer champ David Beckham is in China to build enthusiasm for the game in the world's most populous country, where fans are pretty discouraged at the moment over the poor performance of their national team. The former England international, who became a goodwill ambassador for Chinese soccer earlier this year, arrived in Beijing Monday, two days after China's national squad suffered a ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:20:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Cricket Australia (CA) will reportedly be sending certain players from the defeated ICC Champions Trophy squad to join Australia A to maximise preparation time for the Ashes. Following a disappointing pool-round exit from the Champions Trophy, Australia will use the extra time before the opening tour match to give some players time with the A team, who completed a 93-run first-class win over ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215286223/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:03 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215286223/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia have held talks over a number of issues of mutual interest and explored ways to develop bilateral relations in all sectors. The talks were held Tuesday between General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's deputy prime minister and Roger Wilkins, the visiting Australian director of public prosecution. Other important officials were also present on ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215283402/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:50:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215283402/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 MOSCOW Russia is steeply ramping up oil deliveries to China, with Asia now importing almost a fifth of oil exports from the world's largest crude producer in a strategic shift meant by the Kremlin to end reliance on weak and saturated European markets. Russia will increase oil supplies to China by 13 percent in July-September from the previous three months, a shipping schedule obtained ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215281115/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:15:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215281115/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least 13 people were killed when a tourist bus plunged into a valley Tuesday in northwest China, traffic police said. The bus, carrying 36 passengers, fell into the valley in Xinjiang Uygur region, Xinhua reported. At least 23 people were wounded. The accident took place around 5 p.m. when the bus was travelling to a tourist spot near Changji city. Heavy fog and poor visibility was blamed ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215272476/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:20:03 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215272476/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Border police in south China have seized a large number of snakes and tortoises in a cross-border smuggling case, officials said. The reptiles, contained in 160 boxes in a truck, were confiscated in the coastal city of Fangchenggang in Guangxi Zhuang region, Xinhua reported. The public security border defence forces said most of the animals were alive when they were found. Police suspect that ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215270135/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:50:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215270135/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 As many as 118 suspects have been detained in China for their involvement in environmental pollution cases, authorities said Tuesday. The ministry of public security said the suspects were detained since January, Xinhua reported. Most of the pollution cases involve mining or petrochemical factories. Some factories reportedly discharged toxic substances into the environment illegally, while ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215268912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:20:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215268912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised China's "constructive" role in reducing tensions between North and South ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292891/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:53:36 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292891/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AFP) - A festival dedicated to dog meat in southern China has been targeted by protesting animal lovers, who have won a minor concession from local officials, an activist said on Wednesday.The annual festival, scheduled to take place on Friday in Guangxi province, sees dogs packed into cages before being killed, skinned and cooked -- but has met with increasing opposition from activists, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292705/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:52:03 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292705/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 New Delhi, June 19 : Atul Singh, Coca-Cola's president and CEO (India and Southwest Asia), will take over as deputy president (Pacific Group) from July 1, the company said ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292570/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:46:24 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292570/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Chinese and North Korean deputies foreign minister, Zhang Yesui and Kim Gye Gwan, have discussed the development of bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula within the inter-ministerial strategic dialogue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. She said the parties "exchanged views on a wide range of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292981/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:43:44 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292981/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday that China welcomes the positive development of the ongoing reconciliation process in Afghanistan.Hua's comment came after the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday set up a liaison office in the Qatari capital of Doha in order to initiate talks with international organizations.The Taliban will use the Doha office to maintain contact with the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292982/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:42:18 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292982/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reported 884.1 billion yuan ($143.34 billion) in profits in the first five months of 2013, up 6.5 percent year on year, government data showed Wednesday.The growth rate marked a jump from the 5.3-percent profit gain in the first four months.Of the total profits, SOEs administered by central government departments or those in which the central government ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292984/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:42:09 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292984/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China will continue a prudent monetary policy while ensuring credit growth for the real economy, agricultural sector and small enterprises, according to a statement issued after a State Council meeting Wednesday.Participants at the meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, planned a set of measures designed to increase the financial sector's support to the country's economic ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292983/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:42:09 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292983/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Global car manufacturing giant Ford Motor Company has more than doubled its engine production capacity in China with a new plant in the southwestern Chongqing Municipality that went into operation on Wednesday.The new engine plant run by Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. (CFMA), Ford's China joint venture, has an annual production capacity of 400,000 units, said Alan Mulally, Ford ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292609/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:42:08 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292609/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Philippine Foreign affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday the department will investigate allegations that some embassy staff in the Middle East are sexually abusing distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).Del Rosario ordered the accused embassy staff to return to Manila to face the investigations. He also asked the heads of the diplomatic posts in Kuwait, Syria and Jordan to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292985/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:41:54 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292985/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Computer whiz Edward Snowden's revelations of the NSA's broadbrush program for sweeping up internet and phone messages by the millions raises a perplexing question: If the NSA and CIA and others know so much, why do we have so much trouble seeing through North Korea? Take North Korea's offer to talk to the U.S. after spurning talks with South Korea. The excitement generated by the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292632/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:41:42 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292632/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The noted contrarian investor and long-time manager of the Oakmark International Fund explains why he's still bullish even as the country's stock rally stalls ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292986/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:32:29 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292986/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 North Korea has hit out at 'scum' defectors after they published a report that its leader, Kim Jong-un, gave out copies of Adolf Hitler's memoir Mein Kampf to officials on his ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292987/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:29:04 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292987/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 (25 mins ago) Japan extended a string of trade deficits last month as the country's import costs rose on the weak yen. Data released by the Finance Ministry showed the deficit expanded 9.5 percent from a year earlier to nearly 994 billion yen. Exports rose 10 percent to 5.7 trillion yen on higher shipments to the United States and China. Exports to recession-hit Europe remained weak, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292988/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:27:39 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292988/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 MADRID (MarketWatch) -- HSBC on Wednesday cut its growth forecasts for China, citing faster reform moves that could hurt growth, along with weaker-than-expected data flows. Qu Hongbin, chief economist for China at HSBC, said their 2013 and 2014 gross domestic product views now stand at 7.4%, versus prior forecasts of 8.2% and 8.4%, respectively. Consensus is calling for China growth of 7.8% in ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292682/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:23:37 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292682/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 WASHINGTON, DC -- In June, Japan made a five-year commitment of $32 billion dollars in public and private funding to Africa. It will be used in areas prioritized as necessary for growth by the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (or TICAD). Japan's new pledge is nearly four times larger than its last commitment to the group. The plan of action is ambitious. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292685/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:16:36 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292685/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China and Iceland could become natural partners in the energy sector though it is too early to make any predictions about the benefits, an analyst said. A source at China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known also as Sinopec, told China Daily on condition of anonymity talks were under way with the Icelandic government over oil exploration off the country's northeast coast. China Daily ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292990/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:13:46 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292990/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Due to the impact of the global financial crisis, in the first half of 2009, Sino-EU trade dropped by 22.8 percent compared with the previous year. At the China-EU Business Summit held in Nanjing on November 30, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao noted that both sides should promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. On December 1, the EU's Treaty of Lisbon went on effect, giving ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292992/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:25 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292992/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The recently concluded second round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) was widely considered a success. It enhanced strategic mutual trust and smoothed communications between the two countries, providing a basis for talks on more substantial issues. The second round of the S&ED eased previous tensions between the two sides and created a favorable environment for ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292991/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:25 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292991/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's economy is expected to head toward a gradual slowdown in the second half of this year, as the central government has stated that it will retain its current mix of tightened economic policies.Top officials from the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee agreed at a Friday meeting that the country will stick to its proactive fiscal policies in the second half of this year, with ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292620/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:23 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292620/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Ministry of Commerce on Friday announced that the country has made an appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to conduct a review of the zeroing measure used by the United States in slapping anti-dumping duties on diamond saw blades from China.According to a statement on the ministry's website, the country has made the request following its previous complaint to the WTO in February ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292993/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292993/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China will continue to facilitate foreign investment and enhance the protection of intellectual property rights in efforts to improve the investment environment, a senior official said Wednesday. "Improving investment environment and protecting the legal rights of foreign investors are not only the government's promises but also what the government is doing," Yu Jianhua, assistant ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292704/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292704/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 International Finance Corp (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group which focuses on the development of the private sector in emerging markets, plans to invest more than $500 million in China during its next fiscal year. The funds will be mainly used to support private enterprise in western China in the fields of renewable energy, rural finance and agribusiness, according to Karin Finkelston, the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292994/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:21 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292994/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Very high radioactivity levels were detected in groundwater from an observation well at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Wednesday. The level of strontium 90 in the water sampled on May 24 stood at 1,000 becquerels per liter, about 30 times as high as the maximum allowable standard, while the tritium level was at 500,000 ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292997/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:20 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292997/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's investment in Australia does not match her status as the nation's largest trade partner, said Duan Jielong, China's Consul-General in Sydney on Tuesday. In a speech to Australia China Business Council (ACBC), Duan said as more and more Chinese companies come to Australia to invest, there seems to be some concerns about Chinese investment being too much and growing too fast. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292722/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:20 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292722/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China looks like it's heading toward a new record and could exceed $106 billion this year, a senior Ministry of Commerce official said, underscoring global investors' confidence in the world's second-largest economy. From January to June, the nation's FDI surged by 18.4 percent year-on-year to $60.9 billion, according to the commerce ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292995/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:20 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292995/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least four Pakistani civilians were injured in a cross-border firing from the Indian side in the disputed Kashmir region on Wednesday, reported local Urdu TV channel Geo. Another local TV channel Dunya said that one Pakistani woman got killed in the firing. According to the local media reports, the firing incident took place at the Battal Sector along the Line of Control between Pakistan and ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292996/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:20 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292996/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At least four persons drowned and more than 40 are missing after a boat capsized in the Ganga River in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal's Malda district on Friday, reported local media. The Press Trust of India quoted local officials as saying a boat carrying about 60 passengers capsized. Boat capsizals take place in Indian frequently due to overcrowding, water torrent and bad boat ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292998/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:18 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292998/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's expenditures on logistical services totaled 3.7 trillion yuan (around 570 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2011, an increase of 18.5 percent year-on-year, statistics showed. The spending accounted for 18 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing and the China Logistics Information Center said in a report ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293000/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:17 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293000/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Chinese currency Renminbi, or the yuan, gained 33 basis points to 6.4470 per U.S. dollar on Tuesday, the highest since China started the exchange rate reform six years ago, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading system. In China's foreign exchange spot market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 0.5 percent from the central parity rate each trading day. The central parity ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292999/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:17 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292999/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's 130 national languages have still been inherited and continue to develop among 1.3 billion people despite the impact of globalization and regional economic development, said a linguist from an authoritative dialect research agency on July 10, 2011.According to statistics, there are more than 6,000 languages in the world, of which more than 2,500 languages are in an extremely critical ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293002/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:16 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293002/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Profits for China's industrial businesses rose 28.7 percent year-on-year to 2.41 trillion yuan (374 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced Wednesday. The NBS figures showed that combined revenues for the country's industrial firms rose by 29.7 percent from a year earlier to reach 38.86 trillion yuan from January to June. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293001/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:16 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293001/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The State Council, or China's cabinet, on Wednesday announced new regulations designed to facilitate the enforcement of the country's new individual income tax law, which features an increased monthly tax exemption threshold.Premier Wen Jiabao signed a State Council order to approve the creation of the regulations, which are set to take effect on Sept. 1, 2011.The National People's ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:09 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293003/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 In order to address new challenges, coordination between UN peacekeeping operation, peacemaking and peacebuilding efforts needs to be strengthened, Wang Min, deputy permanent representative of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations said here on Wednesday.Wang made the remarks when he addressed a UN Security Council's open meeting on UN peacekeeping operations.He pointed out that as ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293004/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:09 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293004/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang (C) presides over an meeting on relief work and investigation of the high-speed train crash in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 24, 2011. Zhang is leading a work team in Wenzhou to assist in relief work and conduct an investigation into the accident. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang on Sunday urged local authorities to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293006/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:08 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293006/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chinese stocks tumbled Monday as investors sold off holdings increasingly worried about a possible default of government debt by the United States which is to bring the global economy back to a serious slowdown. Also, railway shares plunged after the weekend deadly high-speed train wrecking accident in East China's Zhejiang Province which has killed at least 36 people and injured more than ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293005/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:08 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293005/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 As of July 21 of 2011, the RMB exchange rate reform had been implemented for 10 years. On that day, the average exchange rate of the RMB against the U.S. dollar was 6.4536, which was a new record since China exchange rate reform started. Since 2005, the RMB has appreciated by almost 22 percent against the U.S. dollar. However, such a great RMB appreciation still has not satisfied the United ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293007/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:06 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215293007/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China welcomed European Union's agreement on the 109 billion euro bailout plan for Greece and has been confident of the stability of the euro zone and other member countries in the past, present or future, said Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of People's Bank of China on July 23 during an interview with Financial Times. Bailout plan helps bring financial stability After eight hours of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292626/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:07:05 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292626/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Reuters © A Tibetan monk uses a mobile phone near the Dzamthang Jonang monastery, where Kalkyi set herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule, in Barma township May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Kim ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291865/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:45:33 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291865/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 As markets start to question Japan's easing policies, fresh trade data showing a solid rise in exports indicates 'Abenomics' is working. But as Yonggi Kang reports, other figures are less ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291866/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:44:53 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291866/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Laifenggang archaeological excavation site was leveled by bulldozers overnight on June 14, while they were building an extension to a metro line in Guangzhou. Experts said it was a massive loss to Chinese heritage. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291867/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:44:39 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291867/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed has been named in Australia's A squad to tour Africa during the Ashes. Photograph: Mal Fairclough/AFP/Getty ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291869/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:36:01 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291869/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Some 40 representatives from ASEAN and China Wednesday attended a workshop on strengthening ASEAN- China cooperation in search and rescue of persons and vessels in distress in the South China Sea.Addressing the workshop, Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnamese deputy minister of foreign affairs, said the workshop is a part of the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291870/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:35:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291870/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 International for $1.6 billion would leave an investment company owned by Yashili's founding Zhang family worth more than $800 million. Chairman Zhang Lidian and his family control Zhang International, which holds a 52% stake in Yashili. Four directors - Zhang Likun, Zhang Liming, Zhang Lidian and Zhang Libo - each own 18% of Zhang International. Mengniu, which has been criticized for ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291617/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:35:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291617/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Chairman Wang Jianlin Wanda Group, a real-estate conglomerate with global ambitions, has a string of swish hotels in China. Now it plans to add a 160-room luxury hotel in London as part of a £700 million ($1.08 billion) twin-tower residential project acquired from Ireland's Green Property. The Irish developer ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291616/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:35:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291616/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> China's import of Swiss high-end watches may decrease over the next few quarters, Tina Zhou, dean of the Fortune Character Institute predicted in the China Watch Report. China imported 77,771 watches from Switzerland in 2012, down from 87,894 units in 2011, according to the report released Tuesday. However, as the average price increased, the import value in 2012 was ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291871/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:32:58 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291871/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Chinese president Xi Jinping for talks on Wednesday, with North Korea and Syria expected to dominate ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291872/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:32:36 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291872/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 England Rafael Nadal has been named fifth seed for Wimbledon, leaving his major title rivals to ponder meeting the 2008 and 2010 title-winning Spaniard as early as the quarter-finals.Nadal, the holder of 12 grand slam crowns and fresh from his record-breaking eighth French Open triumph in Paris, was seeded behind compatriot David Ferrer who takes the fourth seeding.Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291873/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:31:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291873/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Testing of groundwater outside the turbine building of reactor No. 2 had shown the level of strontium-90 had increased by more than 100 times between December 2012 and May this year. (Reuters ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291874/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:10 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291874/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Reuters Market Eye - The rupee rises on hopes of inflows related to debt limit auction, say dealers. The pair is at 58.70/71 after rising to 58.92, versus its ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292030/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:25:10 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292030/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Even as investors remain on the sidelines ahead of the conclusion of the Fed's 2 day meeting and especially Ben Bernanke's testimony later in the day, there was great volatility during the Asian session. Traders were either reacting to the bullish Japan export data or setting up positions ahead of the Bernanke testimony later today. In Asia the stocks were broadly ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291607/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:18:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291607/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The extra sand will widen the beach, help prevent severe erosion and protect public facilities and infrastructure along Alexandra Parade and Aerodrome Road. The popular stretch between Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland is worth around $80 million a year to the Sunshine Coast ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291877/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:16:03 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291877/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By Sonali Paul and Fergus Jensen MELBOURNE/JAKARTA, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 6:07am EDT MELBOURNE/JAKARTA, June 19 (Reuters) - Australia's Intrepid Mines Ltd is learning that business in Indonesia is personal as it wages a difficult fight to win back rights to a $5 billion copper and gold prospect in East Java. Intrepid was booted off the site last year by its Indonesian partner ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292989/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:07:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215292989/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 husband Charles Saatchi admitted assault and accepted a police caution after published photos showed him grasping her throat at a restaurant last ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291878/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:05:04 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291878/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 (Photo:Agencies) An unexploded World War II shell that was discovered just metres from a busy rail track halted high speed trains in Japan, as bomb disposal experts moved in to detonate it. The travel plans of around 90,000 people were disrupted when an exclusion zone was thrown up around the shell, which was discovered in the north of Tokyo earlier this year. A squad from the country's ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291880/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:02:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291880/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Five soldiers were injured by a bomb explosion in restive southern province of Pattani on Tuesday. Police said they received a report of the attack on the rural road in Pattani's Yaring district at about 7.30 a.m. local time. At the scene, police found a 40 cm wide and 30 cm deep crater caused by the explosion, along with debris and residue from the blast. According to witnesses, seven ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291879/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:02:14 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291879/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Japan's Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who caused a storm with his comments on "comfort women," is expected to face a censure motion filed by local politicians later Thursday. Council members in Osaka plan to jointly submit the motion against Hashimoto, who is also joint leader of the national Japan Restoration Party, Jiji Press said. Hashimoto prompted outrage at home and abroad by ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291881/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:02:13 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291881/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AFP) - A high-ranking North Korean official with long experience as his country's international nuclear negotiator held talks Wednesday with Chinese officials, Beijing's foreign ministry announced.North Korean first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan and Chinese vice foreign minister Zhang Yesui co-chaired a "strategic dialogue" meeting between their ministries in the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290908/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:40:51 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290908/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Hitler managed to rebuild Germany in a short time following its defeat in WWI, Kim Jong-un issued an order for the Third Reich to be studied in depth and asked that practical applications be drawn from it," the source reportedly ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290680/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:38:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290680/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Joint Committee of EU and China will meet in Beijing on Friday. On 18 June, the spokesman of the European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht said that the solar panel dispute will not be included in the agenda, but both sides are trying to find a middle ground solution for the trade issue. EU trade spokesman said. "I can clarify that both sides (EU and China) have together agreed on ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290909/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:35:24 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290909/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Beijing, June 19 : Retired soccer champ David Beckham is in China to build enthusiasm for the game in the world's most populous country, where fans are pretty discouraged at the moment over the poor performance of their national ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290910/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:35:21 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290910/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 From Jamaica to Bangladesh, from Guyana to Malaysia, China Communication Construction Company has left a trail of controversy, facing allegations of bribery, collusion and lack of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290911/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:34:21 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290911/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Li Xingong, who was the party's deputy head in Yongcheng city in Henan province, was found guilty of assaulting the girls during police interrogations starting from the second half of 2011, the official Xinhua news agency reported.Li appealed against the guilty verdict, but was rejected by the Supreme Court, Xinhua said.The case was widely discussed on ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:31:37 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290912/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Some leading political economists have lauded China's renewed interest in the controversial Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP), telling Xinhua that China would enjoy more leverage on the tenor of negotiations "from the inside."While the US has touted the TPP as a new kind of trade pact beyond the traditional areas of free trade agreements (FTA) - covering regulatory consistency ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290913/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:30:57 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290913/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 * Trading extended for 30 minutes to let banks borrow money * Banks scale back non-essential business, such as arbitrage * Benchmark 7-day repo rate jumps to highest since Oct 2007 * Traders only expected mild PBOC cash injection in near term * But liquidity should improve in medium term (Add trading time prolonged, other details) By Lu Jianxin and Gabriel Wildau SHANGHAI, June 19 (Reuters) - ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291876/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:30:54 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215291876/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 More than 8,200 suspects have been captured since a campaign to crack down on crime was launched on January 25, the Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday. The ministry said police uncovered more than 4,500 cases involving food safety offenses and closed about 6,300 workshops and markets that produced or sold illegal food products. Police confiscated more than 150,000 illegal products, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290753/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:30:43 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290753/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Mexico would export food valued at least $1 billion to China over the next 12 to 18 months, Agriculture Minister Enrique Martinez said Tuesday.Martinez spoke of his recent visit to China at a press conference, with motives to follow the agreements signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Mexico earlier this month.Martinez said it was difficult to specify the numbers and targets ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290754/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:30:41 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290754/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A former US university professor who was on the FBI's Ten Mosted Wanted Fugitives list has been arrested, local authorities said Tuesday. Gaspar Armando Garcia, the Quintana Roo state prosecutor, said Walter Lee Williams was arrested in Playa del Carmen, a resort city south of Cancun on Mexico's Caribbean coast. Williams, 64, is accused in a US federal indictment of sexually ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290957/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:30:32 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290957/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Japan Display (JDI), Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) and Innolux are supplying 4.7-inch panels for China-based smartphone vendor Huawei Device, 5.8-inch panels for Samsung Electronics and 6.1-inch panels for Huawei respectively, with ordered volumes larger than originally expected due to booming sales, according to Taiwan-based supply chain ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290914/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:29:04 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290914/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 At Solar Taiwan 2013, the host, the Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA), has invited solar firms such as SunEdison, Gintech, GCL-Poly, MEMC, and Motech to discuss opportunities in emerging solar markets and high conversion efficiency ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290915/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:29:00 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290915/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Samsung Electronics' launch of large-sized Galaxy Mega family smartphones for the US$400-600 segment will affect sales of comparable models launched by China-based branded vendors including Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo and Coolpad, according to industry ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290916/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:28:54 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290916/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290918/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:28:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290918/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> The Foreign Ministry on June 18 said Beijing hasn't changed its attitude toward Pyongyang. The comment came in response to US President Barack Obama's statement that China was taking a tougher line against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear program. "China's position on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue is consistent and ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290917/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:28:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290917/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 media giant announced recently. "With Mr. Rogers' position and experience in the international financial community, the company can have easier access to international capital markets, and...realize a huge potential value in the near future," said Zhang Hongcheng, chairman of FAB Universal that signed the director agreement on Monday. FAB Universal, a worldwide distributor of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290919/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:27:58 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290919/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Asia Pacific Games in December, with well-known Australian performers to take the stage in a two-hour spectacular of music, dance, theatre, lights and fireworks. Details of the gala event, planned for Dec 1, 2013 at the 30,000-seater Hunter Stadium in Newcastle were released on Wednesday. Aussie singers Anthony Callea, Marcia Hines and Marina Prior are among the line-up of entertainers, which ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290822/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:27:57 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290822/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Source: Shina Weibo It goes against what most women opt to do with their legs in the summer, but some in China are hoping it will fend off oglers. This photograph of a girl wearing stockings designed to look like a hairy man's legs has gone viral across the Asian superpower. It seems the concept is to stop unwanted male attention when wearing short skirts in the summer. The image was ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:25:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290922/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 North Korea swings between provocation and negotiation Analysts say North Korean diplomacy follows a familiar pattern The U.S. insists de-nuclearization is a pre-condition of talks Analysts say North Korea's behavior is now an embarrassment to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290923/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:21:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290923/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A sunset over Tower bridge in London on June 19, 2012. Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group will invest nearly $1.6 billion to acquire a British yacht maker and build London's tallest residential towers, state media reported ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290927/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:12:37 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290927/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in central China executed a former Communist Party official for raping 11 underage girls, state media said on Wednesday, following an online uproar about the latest case of abuse of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290871/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:11:54 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290871/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Sunshine Coast Council announced a plan to test a new sand-pumping dredger which will add sand on the heavily eroded beaches at Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland, according to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290928/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:11:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290928/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Taliban in efforts to find a political solution to the war. Karzai says he has suspended negotiations with the US on what troops will remain in the country after 2014. He says he did this "in view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process." The Afghan president's statement was released by his office on ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290929/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:59:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290929/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka and co-leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party (JRP), stated on Wednesday that he has no intention to retract his remarks in face of criticism levied by the other JRP co-leader, Shintaro Ishihara, local press reported on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Ishihara criticized Hashimoto on various occasions, including in an interview with a local news agency and a ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290931/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:56:38 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290931/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The photo provided by Rodong Sinmun shows top leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un inspects the country's air force and watches flight training with his wife. (Source: ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290930/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:56:38 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290930/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:49am EDT * GM plans to beef up retail network for Cadillac cars * Cadillac stores to total 200 by end of 2013 * GM breaks ground for a Cadillac plant in Shanghai SHANGHAI, June 19 (Reuters) - General Motors Co's strategy to make its 110-year-old Cadillac brand one of China's top-selling luxury rides went up a gear on Wednesday as the U.S. automaker unveiled plans to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290924/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:49:29 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290924/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SHANGHAI (AFP) - General Motors will invest $11 billion in China through 2016, executives said Wednesday, as the US car giant broke ground on a plant to produce luxury Cadillacs for the world's biggest auto market.The figure includes four new plants, including the $1.3 billion Cadillac factory in Shanghai, GM officials told a media briefing."China is a critical market for General Motors ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289797/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:35:43 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289797/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Pakistan-born spinner Fawad Ahmed has been named in the Australia A squad for their forthcoming tour of Africa.The 31-year-old was added to the 15-man squad on Wednesday for the July and August tour, despite also being in contention for the Ashes series against ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289962/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:33:29 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289962/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Petra Capital's Andrew Richards believes that, while Australian miners have been hard hit, the country's sector is turning a corner. An interview with The Metals ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289843/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:29:52 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289843/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LE BOURGET, France, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Centre is ready to continue cooperation with South Korea if the Republic of Korea asks for this, Director-General Alexander Seliverstov said on Wednesday. The Khrunichev Centre and South Korea launched three KSLV boosters, Seliverstov told journalists within the Paris Air Show. "The ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289963/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:28:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289963/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Kim Jong-un toured the impoverished country's east coast last month in a 95-foot luxury yacht, a boat that could be prohibited under U.N. sanctions, a website that tracks events in the reclusive state ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289964/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:27:12 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289964/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A sanitationman drinks water in Xiangyang City, central China's Hubei Province, June 18, 2013. The highest temperature in many parts of China reached 37 degrees centigrade Wednesday. Photo: ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289966/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:35 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289966/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The Societe Generale (SG), a French multinational banking and financial services company, opened its seventh branch on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday in the city of Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province."The operation of the Harbin branch is another milestone in SG's 32-year-presence in China," said Jackson Cheung, CEO of SG China Ltd.The expansion of SG ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289967/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:34 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289967/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A total of 17,315 people died of infectious diseases on the Chinese mainland throughout 2012, with AIDS killing the most, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a Wednesday statement.A total of 6.95 million infectious disease cases were reported on the Chinese mainland in 2012, the statement said.Among the cases, 3.21 million cases were categorized as Class A or Class B ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289965/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:30 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289965/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Tourists abused an injured dolphin that was beached in south China on Sunday, resulting in the animal's death as well as a wave of public outrage. The dolphin, which had sustained an injury to its tail fin, was found stranded on the beach of the Dadonghai resort complex in Sanya, Hainan Province, on Sunday evening, and tourists lifted it out of the water so they could take pictures with it. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289968/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:28 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289968/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority officially decided Wednesday on the country's new safety requirements for nuclear reactors in an effort to prevent recurrences of disasters that happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.The new regulations are expected to take effect on July 8, paving the way for nuclear power plant runners to apply for the regulator's safety assessment ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289969/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:11 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289969/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China hosted an international conference on Israeli-Palestinian peace this week in a fresh attempt to relaunch the long-stalled talks between the two sides.Although it is widely recognized that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the core issue in the Middle East, the strenuous and painful steps toward peace have stoked deep skepticism. In the last three years, when most of the world's ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289959/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:26:11 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289959/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A bus on line 585 ignited spontaneously in Wuhan city, Hubei province on Tuesday afternoon. A dozen passengers escaped successfully and no casualties were reported. On the same day in the morning, a bus on line 808 also self ignited in the city and the driver managed to control the fire with a fire extinguisher in time. Wuhan witnessed the highest temperatures of the year on Tuesday, with the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289854/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:23:54 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289854/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Female boxers Josie Gabuco and Nesthy Petecio triumphed over separate foes while Philippines’ two male bets faltered in the first day of the China Open in Guiyang, China. Reigning world champion Josie Gabuco kicked off the competition with a unanimous victory over Russian Zoia Isaeva in the flyweight division. Davao-native Nesthy Petecio also got ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289970/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:20:10 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289970/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Good Morning, - Euro in demand with all eyes in Fed's statement, Bernanke conference. - Asian shares: Japan's Nikkei 1.83%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng -0.58% (07:00 GMT), Korea's Kospi -0.65%, Australia's ASX 200 0.98% and China's Shanghai -0.73% - All the major currencies marked time on Wednesday as investors waited anxiously to see if the Federal Reserve could clarify ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289975/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:08:51 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289975/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 KABUL, Afghanistan ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289726/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:06:07 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289726/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Keith Alexander said the two recently disclosed programmes, one that gathers US phone records and another that is designed to track the use of US-based Internet servers by foreigners with possible links to terrorism, are critical in the terrorism fight. Alexander, seated side by side with top officials from ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289976/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:56:16 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289976/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 US president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin sat next to each other in one of the little 'bilaterals' which have been held at the G8 summit in County Fermanagh. However, many are describing the two leaders' meeting as "awkward" and have taken notice of their body ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289978/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:46 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289978/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 South Korean delegations are having a meeting before heading to the truce village of Panmunjom on Sunday. (Photo:Agencies) South and North Korea agreed to hold a ministerial meeting in Seoul next week at their first government-level contact in more than two years, seeking to build mutual trust and ease uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula, Yonhaps News reports. In the morning session of the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289979/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:45 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289979/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 U.S. lawmakers paid tribute Friday at the country's first memorial to "comfort women" forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers in World War II. To Japanese officials' consternation, Palisades Park, New Jersey--a New York suburb with a large Korean American community--in 2010 set up a small monument to remember the estimated 200,000 former comfort women. Representative Mike ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289980/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:45 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289980/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Heavy rain is expected to continue in Southeast China from Wednesday till Friday, the National Meteorological Center said Wednesday. The rain will hit parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan, with some of these areas expected to experience a precipitation of around 50 to 90 mm, according to an NMC forecast. A strong convective weather with lightening and strong wind is also expected ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289032/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:33:20 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289032/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group said it would spend $1.6 billion (1.0 billion pounds) to buy British yacht maker Sunseeker and develop an upmarket London hotel, the latest example of a trend for Chinese companies to acquire top luxury global brands.The company said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy a 91.8 percent stake in privately-held Sunseeker for 320 million pounds ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289033/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:32:10 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289033/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SYDNEY (AFP) - Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed was on Wednesday named on the Australia A squad for a tour of Africa beginning next month, despite also being in contention for selection for the Ashes series against England.Ahmed was added to the 15-man squad for the July and August tour along with Ashton Agar, who has Sri Lankan grandparents and paceman Gurinder Sandhu, born in Australia but ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289020/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:31:53 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289020/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 - Spot iron ore prices jumped for a fourth straight day to a three-week high as traders increased buying to lift the market, while weak restocking by Chinese steelmakers and tepid steel consumption are expected to cap the rally for the raw ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289034/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:25:34 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289034/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A big run-up in the price of U.S.-traded shares in Internet security products provider Qihoo 360 Technology has lifted the company's CEO into the ranks of China's Internet billionaires. Zhou's 17.7% stake in Qihoo was worth just over $1 billion at the close of trading on Tuesday, even though the stock slid 0.8% from Monday, according to company shareholding figures. Zhou's ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288843/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:21:17 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288843/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 China's mobile phone shipments registered at 97 million units in the first quarter of 2013, up 15% compared with the same period in 2012, while China's smartphone shipments totaled 78 million units in the first quarter, a growth of 117% compared with the same period in 2012, according to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289035/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:19:59 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289035/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A forest of diversiform-leaved poplars, a tenacious ancient species, can be found at the south edge of Junggar Basin, 150 km away from Mori County, covering an area of 35 square ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289036/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:18:53 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289036/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The US House of Representatives approved a Republican measure restricting abortion to the first 20 weeks after conception, one of the most stringent pro-life bills in the past ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288783/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:18:32 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288783/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:16am EDT (Adds details, comments) SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose 1 percent to close at a two-week high on Wednesday, helped by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will not move quickly to scale back its monetary stimulus and as a weaker Australian dollar lifted stocks with large exposure to overseas markets. Whitehaven Coal Ltd surged 4 percent after ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289972/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:16:58 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289972/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 MCLEAN, Virginia: For the second time in as many months, a Muslim civil rights group is pursuing criminal charges on behalf of a taxicab driver who was subjected to an anti-Islamic rant caught on tape. In the most recent case, an Ashburn, Virginia, woman unleashed a string of expletives and called the police emergency dispatcher to report that she was afraid for her life because she said her ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289574/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:15:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289574/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Obama will make his case during a speech at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate. His address comes nearly 50 years after John F Kennedy's famous 'Cold War' speech in this once-divided ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289085/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:15:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289085/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 WELLINGTON: A tiny Samoan airline says it will introduce an "XL" class for super-sized passengers, featuring extra-wide rows and special ramps to help them reach their seats. Samoa Air has already pioneered a world first when late last year it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat. Chief executive Chris Langton said the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288849/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:15:42 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288849/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:11am EDT (Edits second paragraph) TOKYO, June 19 (Reuters) - The policy chief of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling party apologised on Wednesday and withdrew remarks that appeared to make light of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, adding it was up to the premier whether she would keep her job. With a month to go before an election for parliament's upper house ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289971/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:11:05 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289971/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SINGAPORE, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The year 2012 was a good one for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) contact center market with contact center seats growing by 8.4 percent - relatively higher than in other regions. A strongly performing domestic contact center outsourcing industry represents the next stage of growth in the region and is poised to keep the market buoyant. New analysis from Frost ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289037/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:09:34 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289037/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 This 2011 image provided by the FBI shows Walter Lee Williams. He is wanted on charges of sexual exploitation of children and traveling abroad for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289041/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:50:35 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289041/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SAO PAULO (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Brazilians again flooded the streets of the country's biggest city to raise a collective cry against a longstanding lament - people are weighed down by high taxes and high prices but get low-quality public services and a system of government infected with ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288983/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:55 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288983/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Myanmar's President Thein Sein, pictured in Yangon upon return from a visit to the US, on late May 22, 2013. (Photo:Agencies) Myanmar's President Thein Sein will visit Britain and France next month, an official said on Friday, as the international community continues to embrace his nation's democratic reforms. Thein Sein will travel to up to four countries on his second trip to ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289043/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:23 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289043/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Naval forces of the Philippines and the United States are set to conduct joint exercises next week in the waters of Huangyan Islands, Philippine media reported on Wednesday. "Next week's joint naval exercises will be just 20 nautical miles from Huangyan Islands," a senior Philippine security official who declined to be named said. The Philippine Navy is sending the BRP Gregorio ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289042/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:23 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289042/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Six children were injured when a small whirlwind suddenly sprang up on the grounds of a school in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, on Saturday. The school was holding a sports meet at the time, Fuji TV reported. At 1:40 p.m., during a relay race, the whirlwind sprang up in the center of the sandy ground and started moving around. As school officials scrambled to get the children off the track, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289044/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289044/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) arrives at the Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, on May 24, 2013. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Yangon Friday evening to pay a three-day official goodwill visit to the Southeast Asian nation. (Xinhua/U ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289046/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289046/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 TEPCO officials have detected radioactive cesium in groundwater at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. But they said levels were much lower than legal limits. Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Company reported the findings. They said they found 0.39 becquerels per liter of radioactive cesium-137 in samples collected April 16th. The officials said the figure is lower than TEPCO's limit ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289045/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289045/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SYDNEY ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288811/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:35:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288811/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 FILE - In this June 18, 2013 photo, North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, right, waves as he arrives at the Capital airport in Beijing, China. North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim was expected to discuss bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288204/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:29:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288204/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed Jun 19, 2013 2:28am EDT (Updates to close) SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose 1 percent on Wednesday, helped by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will not move quickly to scale back its monetary stimulus and as a weaker Australian dollar lifted stocks with large exposure to overseas markets. The S&P/ASX 200 index climbed 47.1 points to 4,861.4, according to the latest ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289040/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:28:53 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215289040/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By Kaori Kaneko and Stanley WhiteTOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's exports rose in May at the fastest annual rate in more than two years with the help of a weak yen and a moderate pick-up in global demand, boding well for the government's efforts to steer the economy through market turbulence.The faster-than-expected rise is welcome news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after recent a sell-off in ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288031/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:28:16 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288031/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 TOKYO -; Japan's nuclear watchdog has formally approved new safety requirements for atomic plants, paving the way for the reopening of facilities shut down since the Fukushima ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288205/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:25:40 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288205/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 If ever there were a wake-up call for Japan, the second-most indebted nation, the death of Jiroemon Kimura is it. On one level, Kimura is a good-news story. He was the last man born in the 1800s when he died on June 12 at the ripe, and some might say enviable, age of ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288206/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:19:12 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288206/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 A serial sex offender has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of an Irish woman that outraged Australia's second-largest ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288207/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:18:41 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288207/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Beijing is proactive in advancing the Mideast peace process, said Wu Sike, China's special envoy to the region.Wu made the remarks on the sidelines of the UN International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which is being held here on June 18-19 and brought together officials and experts from more than 50 countries and international organizations.It is the first time for the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288208/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:18:02 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288208/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Australia's economy has been clouded with negative forecasts in recent weeks with some even warning of a dip back into recession, but a recent report argues the economy is poised for a rapid acceleration in the coming months. According to Clifford Bennett, chief economist of the financial services firm White Crane Group, which publishes the White Crane Report, Australia is set for a major ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288050/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:15:22 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288050/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Babel, english company filming about tourism in arab countries. Iraq, 1961, Ani, Latif el - Professional photographer, Ani, Latif el Collection, Copyright Arab Image Foundation (Photo from the event's Facebook ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288202/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:13:38 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288202/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 American think tanks believe that China and the US will have tremendous opportunities for cooperation in the next 10 years, and the top three items on their work agenda should be energy, tourism, and science and technology. "The stakes are large, for both success and failure," said Stanford economist Michael Boskin, "so the relationship needs to succeed." Making his remarks ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288210/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:12:38 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288210/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 7-day repo rates rising to 16 month highs and 1-yr swap rates to near 2-year highs above 4% . Markets are also looking ahead to tomorrow's release of HSBC flash manufacturing PMI after a recent spate of slowing ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288212/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:01:19 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288212/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 The rush will extend across profiles. Outsiders will want to be part of the changes that Murthy will bring in; and this will not happen if they are working for competition," says Aditya Mishra, Randstad ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288213/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:57:10 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288213/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 GENEVA: War and other crises drove one person from their home every 4.1 seconds in 2012, the UN's refugee agency said on Wednesday, pushing the number of people forcibly displaced to a two-decade high of 45.2 million. All told, the UNCHR's annual figures showed 1.1 million people fled across international borders in 2012, while 6.5 million were displaced within their homelands. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288214/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:47:37 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288214/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 federal deficit over the next 20 years if it gets through Congress, congressional budget analysts said. Tuesday's assessment cheered supporters of an issue that ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288215/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:47:36 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288215/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Taliban on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an overnight attack in Afghanistan that killed four US troops, just hours after Washington said its officials would meet the insurgents for talks. US ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288216/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:47:19 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288216/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 South Korea and the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held working-level talks on Sunday morning at Panmunjom border village, the first inter-governmental talks in over two years. South Korean Unification Ministry held a press briefing shortly after the morning talks concluded. The spokesman of the ministry said that the talks continued about one hour and concluded at around 11 ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288217/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:45:15 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288217/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 An expert stands near the Tianhe-2 supercomputer at the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. The fastest computer in the world can store 60 billion books, each with 100,000 Chinese ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287128/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:27:16 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287128/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 FIFTEEN people accused of involvement in the nation's largest online pyramid scheme stood trial yesterday in a court in east China's Zhejiang Province. On June 11, police in Jinhua City busted a website offering discounts on online purchases and arrested Ying Jiancheng and another 14 people suspected of organizing the scam involving 24 billion yuan (US$3.9 billion). An ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287305/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:27:15 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287305/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Nineteen advocacy groups and Congo experts are giving the thumps up to President Barack Obama’s appointment of former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold as the new U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Feingold is a former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee in the Senate and co-author of several legislations on the Lord’s Resistance Army ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287293/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:26:09 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287293/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AFP) - Hong Kong can showcase its democratic pedigree by its handling of the Edward Snowden case, Chinese state media said on Wednesday, in comments appearing to distance Beijing from any decision on his possible extradition.The semi-autonomous territory -- which has a separate legal system to mainland China -- has the opportunity of "proving itself a free society in front of the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287306/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:24:29 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287306/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 economy in the coming quarters, a report from Westpac and Melbourne Institute showed Wednesday. The annualized growth rate of the leading index, which indicates the likely pace of economic activity three to nine months into the future, was 5.4 percent in April, comfortably above its long term trend of 3 percent. The level of the index increased 1.8 points from a month earlier to 294.0 in April. ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287308/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:21:11 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287308/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> China's first teacher in space Wang Yaping is in orbit and due to deliver a lecture to students via a video feed on Thursday, China Central Television reported. The lesson, which will be broadcast by CCTV, will last from 10:04 am to 10:55 am. Wang, the country's second female astronaut, will teach primary and middle school students about her zero-gravity ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287310/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:11:52 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287310/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 /enpproperty--> WASHINGTON - The US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement needs revision in order to better catch US military personnel who commit rape in Japan, a Japanese Diet member said Tuesday. Tomoko Abe, a member of Japan's House of Representatives, made the remarks on the sidelines of an event in Washington co-hosted by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the Council on Foreign ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287311/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:11:47 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287311/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Activity in China's vast manufacturing sector may have decelerated further in June, the flash estimate of the HSBC China purchasing manager's index (PMI) is expected to show, exacerbating worries about a downturn in the world's second largest economy. The closely-watched flash PMI survey due on Thursday could fall to as low as 48.7, according to estimates by Credit Agricole and ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287146/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:11:46 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287146/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 By Denny Thomas and Faith Hung HONG KONG/TAIPEI, June 19 | Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:09am EDT HONG KONG/TAIPEI, June 19 (Reuters) - CITIC Securities' $1.25 billion agreement to buy brokerage CLSA from Credit Agricole has hit a snag in Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter, as regulators resist the plan for a Chinese company to own an entity on Taiwanese turf. Nearly one year ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288211/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:51 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215288211/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Africa to India, arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India, changing the course of history of humankind has been included in the most prestigious list of the world's greatest documents. Unesco's world heritage body that met on Tuesday has decided to include this journal - the only copy of the voyage of Vasco da Gama in the Memory of the World Register ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287136/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:08:27 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287136/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 MINING magnate turned political candidate Clive Palmer has launched his party's campaign in South Australia, fielding three Senate candidates and a contender for the Labor-held seat of Adelaide. Mr Palmer said he planned to nominate Palmer United Party candidates in all 150 House of Representative seats and a Senate team in each state and territory at the September 14 federal election. In his ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290926/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:02:00 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215290926/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- In my guidebook, "Millionaire Meditation," there are 40 ways to achieve the happiness that comes from meditating. All 40 have one common element: To be truly happy you must master "Rule One -- Focus on What You're Doing in This Moment, and Nothing ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287163/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:57:26 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287163/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Edward Snowden, the fugitive former CIA employee and NSA contractor who leaked secrets about America’s spying operations, often hung out online with foreigners in Japan who shared his interests in anime, video games, martial arts, the stock market and the expat lifestyle. Snowden, who ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287317/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:55:28 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287317/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:43am EDT * Indexes: HSI -1.2 pct, H-shares -1.8 pct, CSI300 -1.3 pct * Reported IPO resumption, property tax expansion hit A-shares * Defensives slide in HK as investors await Fed outcome * Mengniu spikes after $1.6 bln Yashili takeover offer By Clement Tan HONG KONG, June 19 (Reuters) - China shares tested six-month lows, sinking Hong Kong markets, as a cash squeeze in the ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287314/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:43:00 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287314/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 BEIJING (AP) -- A bus carrying 36 people veered from a road in heavy fog and crashed into a valley in western China, killing at least 15 people, state media ... http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287283/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:42:32 -0400 http://www.asiabulletin.com/index.php/sid/215287283/scat/4a8b544d0e80ba53