Straits Times Interactive - ASIA

Dreams of fission fizzle out at Philippine N-plant

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

MORONG (The Philippines): It is the nu-clear plant of regrets, of would-haves and could-haves, to a generation of Filipino scientists who had dreamed of bringing nuclear power to this energy-starved country.

Indonesian President tries to salvage image

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched into a sweeping defence of his administration and policies in an unprecedented press conference for more than 100 invited foreign and Indonesian journalists.

Admitting that fighting corruption in South-east Asia's largest economy has proven difficult, he said he would continue to battle it as long as he is its leader. 'We want to change the trajectory of history but I have come to realise that it takes a longer time to make our country and our system clean,' he said.

Thai govt and rebels to resume talks

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BANGKOK: Separatist groups in Thailand's troubled south are set to restart talks with the government after a months-long break, raising hopes for a negotiated solution and an end to the violence tearing the region apart.

'Open' to power plant idea

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he is 'open to the idea' of building coal-fired power plants in Batam to produce electricity for sale to Singapore.

Opinions split on Chongqing boss' fate

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

THE reading of tea leaves to ascertain the fate of Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai continued apace yesterday.

Tianjin Eco-City enters 'move in' phase

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

TIANJIN: A few thousand residents of Tianjin Eco-City will be moving into their new homes this year, another step towards the goal of creating a green community of 350,000 residents in 10 years' time.

Chinese province to relocate 1.5m rural poor

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

GUIYANG (Guizhou): China's poorest province is planning to spend 18 billion yuan (S$3.6 billion) to relocate 1.5 million people, mostly minorities, living at subsistence level in mountainous regions, as part of its effort to accelerate development.

What it should have been

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

IN LAST Friday's report, ''Red' fears grip major HK daily', we said a rare meeting held recently between South China Morning Post chief executive Kuok Hui Kwong and China's top official in Hong Kong and Macau, Mr Wang Guangya, triggered concerns that it led to the appointment of the Post's new editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei. He is the first mainlander to take the role.

China tightens rules on foreign TV shows

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BEIJING: China's media regulator has issued new rules banning foreign TV shows from being shown at prime-time as the country tries to encourage local programming, state media reported yesterday.

Plea for North Korean refugees

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

South Korean pastor Suh Kyung Suk shouting during a rally at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul yesterday in support of North Korean refugees arrested by the Chinese authorities last week. The protesters called for China not to repatriate the refugees, fearing they might be tortured, jailed or even executed if sent back to their homeland. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

US diplomat in Pakistan caught with bullets in bag

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

PESHAWAR: Pakistani police briefly detained an American, later identified as a United States Embassy employee, after bullets were found in his luggage at an airport in the country's north-west yesterday.

Malaysia defends decision to deport Saudi journalist

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia yesterday defended its deportation of a Saudi journalist wanted at home for comments deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad, saying it was not a 'safe haven' for fugitives.

'Don't attend rituals of other religions'

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ulama Association of Malaysia has urged Muslims to avoid participating in non-Muslim religious festivities, in a call seen by some as aimed at Prime Minister Najib Razak's recent attendance at a Thaipusam celebration.

The case of the 'missing' photo

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

A PHOTOGRAPH showing Chongqing Communist Party chief Bo Xilai shaking hands with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared on the front page of several major Chongqing newspapers yesterday, two days after their meeting on Saturday.

iPads face sales freeze over name row in China

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BEIJING: The authorities in some Chinese cities have ordered retailers to stop selling Apple's tablet computers due to a dispute with a domestic company that claims to own the iPad name, media reports said yesterday.

HK govt tries to ease concerns over mainland cars

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's government yesterday sought to address concerns about a scheme to allow mainland Chinese visitors to drive their cars into the territory.

Chinese city halts property easing steps

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BEIJING: China's eastern city of Wuhu suspended a decision to ease property curbs - three days after its announcement - in a move that underscores the nation's determination to cool prices.

China sees results in foreign talent hunt

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

BEIJING: Cash-rich China has taken its hunt for highly skilled R&D talent abroad and the search has started to bear fruit.

Pardoned child bomber arrested again

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

KANDAHAR: Two 12-year-old boys equipped with suicide vests were arrested here over the weekend, less than a year after one of them was pardoned by Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the same crime.

Valentine's Day not everyone's flavour

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

NEW DELHI: Not everyone is as passionate about Valentine's Day.

Thein Sein vows to seek 'lasting peace' with rebel groups

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

YANGON: Myanmar's President yesterday pledged to seek 'lasting peace' with the country's armed rebels, and issued a plea for the nation's support as ethnic unrest continues to mar recent reforms.

Vietnam trying to cool 'gold fever'

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

HANOI: Stashing gold at home rather than having cash in the bank is a generations-old habit in communist Vietnam, but a recent surge in prices has sparked government attempts to bring the yellow metal to heel.

Spotlight on Malay legacy in Penang

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Think Penang, and what is likely to come immediately to mind is the state's Peranakan culture, Chinese background and colonial history.

China to seek balanced trade with US: Official

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

SHANGHAI: A top Chinese official yesterday vowed Beijing would pursue more balanced trade with the United States, as the country's Vice-President Xi Jinping prepares for an official US visit.

Protest march over car scheme

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT

HONG KONG: A few hundred people marched in Hong Kong yesterday, opposing a controversial government scheme that allows mainland Chinese cars into the territory, further escalating tensions between the two sides.