http://www.voanews.com/archive/asia/latest/594/600.html asia http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com/archive/asia/latest/594/600.html en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Sat, 25 May 2013 16:11:04 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Authorities in the southern Philippines say at least 11 people have been killed in a clash between government troops and a Muslim militant gang. Military spokesman Brigadier General Domingo Tutaan said seven Philippine marines and at least four members of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group died early Saturday in a firefight on the outskirts of Patikul town on the island of Jolo. Tutaan said at least nine other marines were wounded in the close-quarters fight. Abu Sayyaf, long active in ... http://www.voanews.com/content/al-least-11-dead-in-philippines-clash/1668146.html http://www.voanews.com/content/al-least-11-dead-in-philippines-clash/1668146.html Sat, 25 May 2013 04:58:33 -0400 Asia VOA News An explosion on a school bus in eastern Pakistan Saturday has killed 16 children and one teacher. A police officer in the city of Gujrat said the 17 victims burned to death when their bus caught fire in the blast. He said several other children were injured and hospitalized. Earlier reports had said all the victims were children. They were en route to school when the accident took place. The bus was powered by both natural gas and petroleum. Local police say the fire was caused by a spark ... http://www.voanews.com/content/at-least-17-dead-in-pakistan-school-bus-accidental-blast/1668145.html http://www.voanews.com/content/at-least-17-dead-in-pakistan-school-bus-accidental-blast/1668145.html Sat, 25 May 2013 04:42:46 -0400 Asia VOA News A militant attack on a police convoy near the city of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least six policemen. Several others were wounded, including the district police officer, in the attack Friday on the Indus Highway. Local media say the militants armed with rockets ambushed the convoy, which was on its way from Peshawar to Kohat. A wounded driver was able to reach Kohat, where the wounded were rushed to a hospital. A police contingent was sent to the area after the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-nato-driver-in-nw-pakistan/1668068.html http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-nato-driver-in-nw-pakistan/1668068.html Fri, 24 May 2013 18:41:01 -0400 Asia VOA News Tibetan refugees in Nepal say they face increasing restrictions from Nepalese authorities due to pressure from China. VOA correspondent Aru Pande talks to Tibetans who, for decades, have made the Himalayan country their home. Dolma Lama learned to weave Tibetan carpets from her mother - who fled Tibet and settled in Kathmandu after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation in 1959.   Dolma was born in Nepal and has been weaving since she was 19.   “It’s very important ... http://www.voanews.com/content/nepal-tibetan-refugees-struggle-under-china-shadow/1667898.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nepal-tibetan-refugees-struggle-under-china-shadow/1667898.html Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:15 -0400 Asia Aru Pande At least four people have been killed in a new Taliban attack in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. Taliban militants, backed by a suicide bomber, attacked a United Nations compound Friday evening and set off several explosions. In the ensuing gunbattle with security forces, at least one policeman was killed.  Kabul's police chief, General Mohammad Ayub Salangi, told VOA three of the attackers also were killed. At least 10 other people were wounded. The blasts shook a busy area of ... http://www.voanews.com/content/explosions-gunfire-hit-center-of-afghan-capital/1667557.html http://www.voanews.com/content/explosions-gunfire-hit-center-of-afghan-capital/1667557.html Fri, 24 May 2013 10:00:50 -0400 Asia VOA News British police have arrested two men on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane that was diverted to an airport near London.   A Royal Air Force fighter jet intercepted the airliner — which was en route from Lahore to Manchester — and escorted it to Stansted Airport.   Authorities said there had been "an incident" on board the plane. They said the two men were arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft, and removed from the plane after it landed.   ... http://www.voanews.com/content/britain-investigating-pakistani-passenger-plane-after-unspecified-incident/1667550.html http://www.voanews.com/content/britain-investigating-pakistani-passenger-plane-after-unspecified-incident/1667550.html Fri, 24 May 2013 09:57:36 -0400 Europe Pakistan has reiterated its opposition to U.S. drone strikes on its territory, after U.S. President Barack Obama justified "constrained" drone usage to save lives. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Friday that drone strikes are counter-productive, kill innocent civilians, have human rights implications, and violate national sovereignty and international law. Pakistan said, however, it welcomes Obama's acknowledgement that "force alone cannot make us safe." In a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-reterates-opposition-to-us-drone-strikes/1667552.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-reterates-opposition-to-us-drone-strikes/1667552.html Fri, 24 May 2013 09:54:49 -0400 Asia VOA News A top White House official is scheduled to arrive in Beijing this Sunday. His visit comes as concerns about cyber attacks, trade frictions and China’s territorial disputes with Japan test relations between the world’s two largest economies. The visit also comes as President Barack Obama and China’s new leader Xi Jinping prepare to hold their first talks next month in California.   When he arrives Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon will be the fifth high-ranking ... http://www.voanews.com/content/suspicions-high-as-us-china-summit-nears/1667504.html http://www.voanews.com/content/suspicions-high-as-us-china-summit-nears/1667504.html Fri, 24 May 2013 08:37:04 -0400 Asia William Ide Two elderly South Korean women forced to work in Japanese war-time military brothels cancelled a meeting on Friday with the mayor of the city of Osaka after he refused to withdraw remarks asserting the brothels were “necessary” at the time. The mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, an outspoken populist who has often stirred controversy, sparked a storm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothels had been needed, and Japan has been unfairly singled out for ... http://www.voanews.com/content/korean-women-scrap-meeting-japanese-mayor-over-brothel-remarks/1667488.html http://www.voanews.com/content/korean-women-scrap-meeting-japanese-mayor-over-brothel-remarks/1667488.html Fri, 24 May 2013 08:29:55 -0400 Asia Reuters An envoy from North Korea concluded his visit to Beijing Friday after a series of meetings hailed by Chinese media as a step forward in talks between the two countries.   Choe Ryong Hae, a top officer in North Korea’s military and a confidante of leader Kim Jong Un, met with Chinese officials this week, including Liu Yunshan, the Chinese Communist Party’s fifth-ranked leader.  Chinese state media are reporting that North Korea is willing to accept China’s proposal to open up ... http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-envoy-wraps-up-visit-to-china/1667435.html http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-envoy-wraps-up-visit-to-china/1667435.html Fri, 24 May 2013 06:04:44 -0400 Asia Shannon Van Sant http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-envoy-wraps-up-visit-to-china/1667435.html#relatedInfoContainer An army official in Kashmir says rebels have fatally shot three soldiers in an ambush. Authorities say the attack took place Friday outside Srinagar, the main city on the Indian section of Kashmir. Rebel groups have been fighting for years for independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and they have fought two wars over its control. http://www.voanews.com/content/indian-soldiers-killed-in-kashmir-attack/1667402.html http://www.voanews.com/content/indian-soldiers-killed-in-kashmir-attack/1667402.html Fri, 24 May 2013 03:10:49 -0400 Asia VOA News A North Korean envoy has told a senior Chinese official that Pyongyang is willing to take China's advice to start talks aimed at resolving tensions on the Korean peninsula.   Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that envoy Choe Ryong Hae made that remark to a high-ranking member of China's Communist Party, Liu Yunshan, during talks in Beijing Thursday.   Liu told Choe that China hopes all sides work to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, solve problems through dialogue and ... http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-willing-to-take-chinas-advice-to-start-talks/1667041.html http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-willing-to-take-chinas-advice-to-start-talks/1667041.html Thu, 23 May 2013 13:41:50 -0400 Breaking News VOA News New performance standards have been announced (5/23) for oil, gas and mining companies, requiring them to be much more transparent in their business dealings. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative approved the new performance standards at a meeting in Sydney, Australia. Created in 2003, the initiative includes government, business and civil society representatives. Among those supporting the tougher standards is Alexandra Gilles, head of governance at the Revenue Watch ... http://www.voanews.com/content/resources-transparency-23may13/1667039.html http://www.voanews.com/content/resources-transparency-23may13/1667039.html Thu, 23 May 2013 13:31:31 -0400 Africa Joe DeCapua The European Commission will seek the support of EU governments to launch talks with China on an investment pact that could be a precursor to a free-trade deal if Brussels and Beijing can overcome growing tensions.   EU trade chief Karel De Gucht said on Thursday he would ask the European Union's 27 countries to agree on a negotiating mandate for a deal with China that would reduce barriers to each other's markets and encourage new capital flows.   Documents seen by Reuters ... http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-trade-chief-to-seek-investment-pact-with-china/1667012.html http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-trade-chief-to-seek-investment-pact-with-china/1667012.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:56:49 -0400 Europe Reuters A U.S.-based international press watchdog organization is calling for the incoming Pakistan government led by Nawaz Sharif to take urgent steps to stem “the murderous silencing” of the press by bringing to justice those who have attacked journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists said many reporters killed in Pakistan during the past decade were targeted and murdered.   The Committee to Protect Journalists detailed report titled ‘Pakistan’s Endangered Press’ said since 2003 the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/global-advocacy-group-urges-pakistan-to-protect-press/1666853.html http://www.voanews.com/content/global-advocacy-group-urges-pakistan-to-protect-press/1666853.html Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:19 -0400 Asia Ayaz Gul Leading religious figures in Indonesia have come out against a U.S.-based interfaith group's plan to award President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's support for religious freedom. They said it sends the wrong message about a country where religious minorities face increasing violence and persecution. Minority faiths in Indonesia are under attack. Local governments have been boarding up churches and mosques belonging to a small Islamic sect, the Ahmadiyah. Worshippers from one Ahmadiyah ... http://www.voanews.com/content/religious-award-sparks-protest-in-indonesia/1666855.html http://www.voanews.com/content/religious-award-sparks-protest-in-indonesia/1666855.html Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:02 -0400 Asia Sara Schonhardt An 80-year-old Japanese man has become the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain. http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1634808.html http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1634808.html Thu, 23 May 2013 10:21:00 -0400 Asia The explosion in Quetta ripped through a vehicle used by security forces, killing at least 12 people -- 11 security personnel and a civilian. http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1666803.html http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1666803.html Thu, 23 May 2013 09:49:00 -0400 USA A young gay rights activist was detained last week in the southern city of Changsha, following a rally organized by local groups to mark an international day against homophobia, his lawyer said. The man, 19-year-old Xiang Yuhan, was taken into custody early Saturday after police came to his hotel room. “He’s been put under administrative detention for 12 days on charges of organizing an illegal rally.  His mother is mentally ill and he looks after her.  We’ve asked authorities to ... http://www.voanews.com/content/gay-rights-activist-held-in-china/1666767.html http://www.voanews.com/content/gay-rights-activist-held-in-china/1666767.html Thu, 23 May 2013 09:12:58 -0400 Asia VOA News In many ways, Singapore is the ultimate modern society - uber efficient, affluent and safe - but at what expense? The recent legal trials of a young graffiti artist and a cartoonist being investigated for alleged sedition has some Singaporeans saying it’s time for politically uncomfortable art and speech to be allowed.  Samantha Lo is the street artist responsible for a series of satirical stickers that cropped up all over Singapore last year. She also painted a message that some say was ... http://www.voanews.com/content/Singaporean-traversing-political-boundaries-through-satire-and-art/1666746.html http://www.voanews.com/content/Singaporean-traversing-political-boundaries-through-satire-and-art/1666746.html Thu, 23 May 2013 08:48:51 -0400 Asia Kate Lamb