Socialists to quit Japan coalition over US bases |
- Socialists to quit Japan coalition over US bases
- Thailand appears back to 'normal': PM
- Pressure on China to censure N.Korea fails
- Bangladesh blocks Facebook over Mohammed cartoons
- China coal mine blast kills 17 near Chenzhou - Xinhua
- Smoking toddler highlights Indonesia's tobacco addiction
- 'Top kill' Gulf oil plug fails
- China urges region to step back from Korea clash
- Gulf residents eye slow fix for historic oil spill
- Q+A - Rivalry and friendship between Japan and China
- Chinese man executed for school stabbing -Xinhua
- FACTBOX - Who is new UK treasury minister Alexander?
- China urges calm in standoff over ally North Korea
- Deadly storm strikes Guatemala
- Malawi pardons jailed gay couple
- Colombians to vote for a president
- Suspected drug gangs dismember Mexico prison warden
- PREVIEW - Humbled by crisis, Russia and EU eye summit reset
- China's Wen urges Koreas to avoid clashes
- Man executed for China kindergarten stabbing spree
| Socialists to quit Japan coalition over US bases Posted: 30 May 2010 12:20 AM PDT TOKYO, Japan -Japan's socialist party decided Sunday to leave the ruling coalition in a row over a US base on Okinawa, raising pressure on Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ahead of July elections, Jiji Press reported.
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| Thailand appears back to 'normal': PM Posted: 29 May 2010 10:16 PM PDT BANGKOK -Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday the country appeared to be back to "normal" after the lifting of a curfew imposed in the wake of deadly anti-government protests.
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| Pressure on China to censure N.Korea fails Posted: 29 May 2010 09:21 PM PDT SEOGWIPO, South Korea -China resisted pressure Sunday from South Korea and Japan to censure North Korea publicly for the sinking of a warship, calling only for regional tensions over the incident to be defused.
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| Bangladesh blocks Facebook over Mohammed cartoons Posted: 29 May 2010 08:45 PM PDT DHAKA -Bangladesh has blocked social networking site Facebook for posting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed and "obnoxious" images of the Muslim-majority country's leaders, an official said Sunday.
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| China coal mine blast kills 17 near Chenzhou - Xinhua Posted: 30 May 2010 12:14 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A coal mine accident killed 17 miners and injured one in a mining and metals-intensive region in southern China's Hunan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the provincial work safety watchdog.
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| Smoking toddler highlights Indonesia's tobacco addiction Posted: 29 May 2010 03:32 PM PDT By Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo JAKARTA: A new video of a smoking Indonesian toddler has emerged to shock health experts and provide further graphic illustration of the Southeast Asian country's growing addiction to tobacco.The parents of a two-year-old boy seen smoking in a clip posted on The Sun newspaper's website are to be investigated, Indonesian officials said after the video drew worldwide attention. Chubby Ardi Rizal laughs and responds to the adults around him as he sits on his plastic tricycle and inhales deeply from frequent drags on a cigarette. His father reportedly gave him his first cigarette when he was 18 months old and now he smokes 40 a day. His mother says he beats his head against the wall unless he gets nicotine, but his father insists he is "healthy". Child Protection Ministry official Heru Kasidi said the family would be investigated for what would be considered a clear case of child abuse in many countries. It's the second time this year Indonesia has been embarrassed by such media coverage. Another video was posted on the Internet last month showing an Indonesian boy aged about four puffing on a locally made clove cigarette, blowing smoke rings and swearing with the encouragement of adults. Weak regulations - Indonesia is the only country in Southeast Asia not to have signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - have enabled tobacco companies to target young Indonesians with advertising and events promotions. US singer Kelly Clarkson dropped tobacco sponsorship for her Jakarta concert in April after anti-smoking groups protested on the grounds that she was effectively encouraging her young fans to smoke. Other artists such as Jamiroquai, Anggun, Incubus and James Blunt have allowed their Indonesian shows to be used as vehicles for tobacco marketing. Anti-smoking activists and health experts say Indonesia is a paradise for the tobacco industry, which has been aggressively expanding sales in the country of about 240 million people. "The regulations on the tobacco industry in Indonesia are weak. They protect the shareholders in the industry more than the people," activist Kartono Mohamad said. "The people in Indonesia are fighting alone against the tobacco industry, the government and the policy makers. It's one against three." Blow to anti-tobacco activists According to the World Health Organisation, cigarette consumption in the Southeast Asian archipelago soared 47 percent in the 1990s. Almost 70 percent of men over 20 years of age smoke, and regular smoking among boys aged 15 to 19 increased from 36.8 percent in 1997 to 42.6 percent in 2000. But anti-smoking initiatives have floundered in the face of the powerful local tobacco industry, which employs scores of thousands of people and generates more than US$6 billion a year for the government. A bill establishing tobacco as an addictive substance was about to be signed into law last year when officials realised the pertinent clause had been mysteriously deleted. The case is under investigation. The government has increased excise taxes but prices remain extremely low by international standards, with a pack of 20 costing little more than a dollar. Even so, studies have shown that poor families spend more on cigarettes than on books and education. In another blow to anti-tobacco activists, lawmakers have strongly opposed a plan to cut cigarette production by five percent to about 248 billion sticks this year on the grounds that it would hurt local producers. Foreign makers like British American Tobacco and Philip Morris have long recognised the opportunities in Indonesia. In March, Philip Morris's local unit, PT HM Sampoerna, the country's largest producer, announced a net profit increase of 31 percent to 5.08 trillion rupiah US$548.64 million) last year. In the absence of tough government regulations Muslim clerics recently issued a fatwa against smoking. But analysts said the religious edict was likely to have about as much effect as regulations banning smoking in bars and restaurants, which are widely ignored. "More and more Indonesian children have become victims of the cigarette industry," Indonesian Child Protection Commission chairman Hadi Supeno said. "There are many children under five years of age who have started smoking. A decade ago, the average age of beginner smokers was 19 but a recent study found that the average is seven." - AFP
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| 'Top kill' Gulf oil plug fails Posted: 29 May 2010 11:20 PM PDT An attempt to stop oil spewing for a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico has failed, the oil giant BP has said.
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| China urges region to step back from Korea clash Posted: 29 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT SEOGWIPO, South Korea (Reuters) - China deflected pressure to censure North Korea at a regional summit on Sunday, instead urging its neighbours to calm tensions over the sinking of a warship and avoid any clash that could shake Asia.
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| Gulf residents eye slow fix for historic oil spill Posted: 29 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT VENICE, La. (Reuters) - BP Plc's "top kill" oil well plug failed on Saturday, practically killing any optimism among Gulf coast residents that the mammoth spill fouling their coast and fishing industry will end any time soon.
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| Q+A - Rivalry and friendship between Japan and China Posted: 29 May 2010 10:26 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Tokyo on Monday, but even as Asia's economic powerhouses move to deepen ties disputes are simmering and mutual mistrust persists.
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| Chinese man executed for school stabbing -Xinhua Posted: 29 May 2010 10:26 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man was executed on Sunday morning for stabbing 29 children and three teachers in eastern China, the official Xinhua news agency said.
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| FACTBOX - Who is new UK treasury minister Alexander? Posted: 29 May 2010 10:26 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - British Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander has replaced party colleague David Laws in the cabinet post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury after Laws stepped down on Saturday over revelations about his expenses.
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| China urges calm in standoff over ally North Korea Posted: 29 May 2010 09:50 PM PDT SEOGWIPO, May 30 — China came under pressure to censure in North Korea at a regional summit today but gave no sign it would get tough with the hermit state, instead urging everyone to calm tensions over a ship sinking. Seoul and Tokyo blame North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong-il, visited China earlier this month, of torpedoing the Cheonan ...
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| Deadly storm strikes Guatemala Posted: 29 May 2010 09:41 PM PDT A powerful tropical storm has struck Guatemala, bringing torrential rains that have added to the disruption caused by an erupting volcano.
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| Malawi pardons jailed gay couple Posted: 29 May 2010 08:45 PM PDT The President of Malawi has pardoned and ordered the release of two gay men who were given 14-year prison sentences last week.
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| Colombians to vote for a president Posted: 29 May 2010 08:46 PM PDT Voters in Colombia go to the polls on Sunday to cast their vote in the country's presidential election.
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| Suspected drug gangs dismember Mexico prison warden Posted: 29 May 2010 08:25 PM PDT MEXICO CITY, May 30 — The body of a prison warden kidnapped by gunmen earlier yesterday was found dismembered and scattered in several locations in a small state adjacent to the Mexican capital, Mexican media reported. Suspected drug gang hitmen grabbed Luis Navarro as he reported for work at the prison on yesterday morning. Parts of his body ...
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| PREVIEW - Humbled by crisis, Russia and EU eye summit reset Posted: 29 May 2010 09:24 PM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the European Union, both humbled by economic crisis, are set to brush geopolitical disputes aside at a summit next week and instead focus on brass-tacks measures to boost their economies.
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| China's Wen urges Koreas to avoid clashes Posted: 29 May 2010 07:30 PM PDT SEOGWIPO, South Korea -China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Sunday there is an "urgent" need to avoid clashes and ease tensions following the sinking of a South Korean warship.
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| Man executed for China kindergarten stabbing spree Posted: 29 May 2010 06:50 PM PDT BEIJING -A man was executed Sunday for carrying out a horrific attack on 32 people, mostly small children, at a kindergarten in eastern China, one of a spate of incidents that shocked the nation.
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