Latest Southeast Asia News
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Pakistan funeral bombs death toll rises
THE death toll from a suicide attack at a funeral in Pakistan has risen to 34 after seven victims died overnight in hospital, police ...
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Tension anger as Asian giants reach World Cup
South Korea defender Kim Chang-Soo (L) and Iran midfielder Masoud Shojaei during their World Cup qualifier on June 18, 2013. Iran booked their ticket with a 1-0 smash-and-grab win in Ulsan, following a tetchy build-up between the two ...
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Oil prices turn higher in Asian trade
With the Aadhaar unique identity number at its core, the scheme is heavily dependent on banks, which in turn are relying on technology firms to implement the ...
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Asian mkts tense before Fed meet Nikkei gains
European stocks were expected to open steady ahead of the conclusion of the Fed's June 18-19 meeting. A policy statement is due at 1800 GMT and Fed ...
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COLUMN-Thailands rice scheme cutback doesnt go far enough Clyde Russell
Wed Jun 19, 2013 2:46am EDT --Clyde Russell is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own.-- By Clyde Russell LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 19 (Reuters) - The Thai government has finally done something sensible with its rice intervention scheme by trimming the amount of money it pays farmers for their crops. But don't for a minute believe the massive problems the scheme has ...
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Pakistan’s new government delivers pro-business budget
Pakistan's newly-installed government of Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) announced its first budget amid slow economic growth, a massive fiscal deficit and dangerously depleted foreign reserves. The government also faces declining foreign investment, a chronic power crisis and double digit inflation. The budget is a desperate attempt to encourage investment, while cutting ...
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Farmers still lighting fires despite worsening haze
KANDIS, INDONESIA - On a vacant dirt field, some 82km north of Pekanbaru where we landed hours earlier, some farmers are still lighting fresh fires despite the worsening haze conditions in the area. We stopped to talk to Mr Maliala Sembiring, who was burning oil palm fruit bunches to make fertilisers. Mr Maliala, who is in his 50s, told ST that the low yield on oil palm fruits was one reason ...
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Oil falls near $98 a barrel before Bernanke speaks
Benchmark oil for July delivery fell 13 cents to $98.31 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 67 cents to close at $98.44 a barrel on the Nymex on ...
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Pakistans Champions Trophy defeat prompts Whatmores exit
Islamabad, June 18 : Pakistan's defeat in the Champions Trophy has prompted calls from former players, media and fans to overhaul the system and ditch coach Dav Whatmore and under-performing ...
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Sino-Vietnam trade carries great potential
On invitation from President Xi Jinping, Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang will kick off a three-day visit to China starting tomorrow. Analysts say, both China and Vietnam face similar risks and challenges at home and abroad and that both nations have great potential in boosting trade cooperation. China and Vietnam not only share a similar cultural background, but the two countries also ...
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Firms line up for Myanmar
/enpproperty--> As senior decision-makers from around the globe descended on Myanmar's capital of Naypyidaw for the World Economic Forum on East Asia recently, multinational companies were lining up to explore the huge commercial opportunities in the country. At Standard Chartered, we're seeing strong, and growing, interest in Myanmar from clients across the globe and across all ...
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Thailands controversial rice scheme to run until 2017
The Yingluck Shinawatra government has given in to heavy public criticism over the huge 130-billion-baht (US$4.22 billion) loss incurred through its controversial rice-pledging scheme, agreeing to reduce the minimal price from 15,000 baht to 12,000 baht per tonne. Payment for rice will be reduced from the end of this month - June 30 - till the end of the current crop season in late September, ...
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Experts predict conflicting policies over Asian trade pacts
/enpproperty--> Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent request that US President Barack Obama keep him updated on progress in talks over the Trans-Pacific Partnership was ambiguous - not necessarily a sign of China's willingness to join the huge proposed free-trade accord but not an expression of skepticism either. Since the two leaders met in California nearly two weeks ago, ...
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IHT Rendezvous Sending a Signal Philippines to Destroy Ivory Stock
Workers arrange some of five tons of confiscated ivory at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife center in Quezon city. The tusks will be destroyed Friday to oppose the illegal wildlife trade, Philippines officials ...
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STOCKS NEWS SINGAPORE-Index down ST Engineering outperforms
Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:37am EDT Singapore shares drifted lower, snapping three consecutive sessions of gains, with investors waiting for more clarity on the U.S. Federal Reserve's next policy step. The Straits Times Index was down 0.3 percent at 3,218.41 points on Wednesday, almost in line with the fall in MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan . Hongkong Land Holdings ...
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Advocacy Groups Welcome New US Great Lakes Envoy
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 ...
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Six named as suspects in burning of Pegunungan Bintang Police station
Papua Police named six people suspects in the burning of a police station and dormitory in Pegunungan Bintang regency in Papua.The police's director of detective unit for special crimes, Sr.Comr.Bambang Priyambada, said on Tuesday the six suspects, identified with initials EK, WA, AY, KA, YT and YA, would be prosecuted under Article 170 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on publicly perpetrating ...
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IHSG opens in the green
The Indonesian Composite Index (IHSG) gained 0.71 percent to 4,875.8 during the opening of the trading session on Wednesday.Kontan.co.id reported there were 135 movers and the transaction volume during the opening stood at 329.494 million shares worth Rp 439.645 billion.Nine sectors were in the green zone and only one, the agriculture sector, was in the red zone with 0.53 percent ...
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Karen Armstrong Spreading the message of compassion
Despite her restless visit in Jakarta recently, British author Karen Armstrong, 68, showed no signs of fatigue as she spoke vigorously about compassion -- the thing that actually connects all of her writings."Whether I was writing about fundamentalism, Jerusalem, the history of God, the Prophet Muhammad or Buddhism, that's what came up, and that's what need me start to look at ...
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Indian Shares Follow Asian Markets Lower
Indian shares are drifting lower on Wednesday, tracking weak Asian cues as investors await the outcome of a two-day Fed policy meeting later in the day, with expectations the U.S. central bank will continue with quantitative easing for the time being. Japan's Nikkei index is rallying a percent, bolstered by encouraging exports data, while the ...
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Nepal Airlines Corp signs US$106m loan with EPF to buy two jets
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) finally looks like it is buying planes to expand its skeleton fleet again, after each of its past purchase plans ended in disaster. The national flag carrier signed a 10 billion Nepalese rupees (US$106 million) loan agreement with the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) on Tuesday to buy two Airbus aircraft it has been eyeing for a long time. With the loan ...
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Thai retailers deny dangerous chemicals in packed rice
Major modern retailers yesterday rejected allegations circulating on social media that they are selling packed rice that has been stored for a long time and has been treated with substantial amounts of anti-fungal and anti-weevil chemicals, which can be dangerous to consumers. Their assurances of the quality of their rice products were backed up by the Thai Retailers Association (TRA), which ...
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Sri Lankas Defence Secretary speaks out against racial exclusivity
Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the Northern Province should be opened up for all communities to live in without further delay. That would be of pivotal importance to promote bonding among the people in the post-war era. The Defence Secretary emphasised that the Sinhalese shouldn't be deprived of their right to buy land in any part of the country, including the ...
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Asia markets mostly down as investors await Fed meetings results
SEOUL, South Korea - Asian markets opened mostly lower Wednesday as investors waited for an update on the U.S. economy from the Federal Reserve and for some clarity from the Fed about its future course. The results of a two-day Fed policy meeting will likely ripple through stock markets once investors learn whether there will be changes in the U.S. central bank's strategy for shoring up ...
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Malaysia denies alleged fresh clashes in Sabah
In this Thursday, March 14, 2013 photo released by Malaysia’s Ministry of Defense, Malaysian soldiers discuss strategies at Sungai Nyamuk where a stand-off with Filipino gunmen took place, near Tanduo village in Lahad Datu, Borneo’s Sabah state, Malaysia. INQUIRER file photo DAVAO CITY - Malaysian authorities have dismissed a recent claim by an aide of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III ...
Bangladesh in Focus
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Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh, the politics of their situation is more important than the human impact
Bangladesh and Myanmar have been disputing their sea border for years, and in recent months tensions on the land border have mounted as claims of interference and counter-claims of provocation are made by both countries, now the politics of territorial dispute have come to have a direct bearing on the respect for human life and development.
In October of 2009, the government of Bangladesh received a report from its military officials detailing a credible threat of attack from Myanmar, they feared that St Martin’s island in the Bay of Bengal, a region increasingly important economically for hydrocarbons, would be attacked and captured by Myanmar, and called for the government to strengthen the defensive capability of the island which has a circumference of just 3 miles. Read more
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