Tea Party win hurts Republicans' U.S. Senate chances |
- Tea Party win hurts Republicans' U.S. Senate chances
- Industrialising India leaves little room for farmers
- Typhoon kills dozens in North Korea - state media
- Puteri Umno wants priority on murder investigation
- Thousands of Afghans stage anti-U.S. protest in Kabul
- Senegal boys 'treated like slaves'
- Trapped miner in Chile becomes father
- Close look at the Popemobile
- Vietnam welcomes Thailand denial of activist entry
- Japan's re-elected PM moves on yen, faces China's fury
- Typhoon killed 'dozens' in North Korea: state media
- S.Korea says no sign key N.Korea meeting has begun
- Twitter revamps website as usage soars
- Asia defies global newspaper meltdown
- Conservatives threaten to shatter Australia PM's rule
- S.Korea re-enacts historic battle despite North's complaints
- After riots, subsidies leave Mozambique in financial trap
- E-readers yet to win mass market in China
- U.N. sees global hunger easing in 2010
- Life of fear for Myanmar monk, three years on from protests
| Tea Party win hurts Republicans' U.S. Senate chances Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:57 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A conservative "Tea Party" favorite knocked off the establishment choice in Delaware's Republican Senate primary election on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the party's chances to recapture the U.S. Senate in November.
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| Industrialising India leaves little room for farmers Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:38 AM PDT SANAND, India, Sept 15 — Jagdishji Vaghela is one of hundreds of thousands of farmers standing in the way of India's breakneck economic expansion. Determined not to give up his land for an industrial park in the western state of Gujarat, the 55-year-old farmer scorns at talk of how the benefits of industrialisation in Asia's third-largest economy ...
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| Typhoon kills dozens in North Korea - state media Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:30 AM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - Dozens of people have died in North Korea after heavy rains and landslides caused by a typhoon which hit the Korean peninsula earlier this month, state media said on Wednesday.
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| Puteri Umno wants priority on murder investigation Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:47 PM PDT Puteri Umno wants investigations into the murders of Datuk Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others to be given priority so that those responsible for the crimes could be charged soon.
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| Thousands of Afghans stage anti-U.S. protest in Kabul Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - Police fired into the air to disperse thousands of angry anti-American protesters in Afghanistan's capital on Wednesday, witnesses and police said, with at least two people suffering apparent gunshot wounds.
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| Senegal boys 'treated like slaves' Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:31 PM PDT As many as 50,000 boys in the west African state of Senegal are living in slave-like conditions and being forced to beg, according to human rights workers.
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| Trapped miner in Chile becomes father Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:58 PM PDT The wife of one of the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile has given birth to a baby girl, who has been named Esperanza - the Spanish for 'hope'.
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| Posted: 14 Sep 2010 07:39 AM PDT Pope Benedict's first state visit to the UK will include several journeys in the high-security so-called Popemobile as he meets crowds of well-wishers. The BBC's Emma Jane Kirby takes a look at the famous vehicle.
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| Vietnam welcomes Thailand denial of activist entry Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:16 PM PDT HANOI, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Vietnam has welcomed Thailand's denial of entry to two human rights campaigners due to speak at a Bangkok press conference about alleged abuses in the communist nation.
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| Japan's re-elected PM moves on yen, faces China's fury Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:14 PM PDT TOKYO, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - A day after Japan's prime minister survived a leadership challenge, his government Wednesday moved to tackle the yen's damaging surge but faced new protests from China in a bitter territorial row.
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| Typhoon killed 'dozens' in North Korea: state media Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:13 PM PDT SEOUL, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Dozens of people were killed by landslides or strong winds when a typhoon battered North Korea this month, state media said Wednesday.
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| S.Korea says no sign key N.Korea meeting has begun Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:12 PM PDT SEOUL, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - South Korea said Wednesday there are no signs that a historic meeting of North Korea's ruling party has begun, despite expectations it would start in the first half of this month.
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| Twitter revamps website as usage soars Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:05 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Twitter unveiled an overhauled website on Tuesday that that lets people more easily sift through the growing mountain of micro-messages and creates more opportunity for advertising.
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| Asia defies global newspaper meltdown Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:04 PM PDT HONG KONG, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Asian newspapers are defying the global print media meltdown while their counterparts in the West spill red ink and lay off staff in droves as readers flock to online news.
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| Conservatives threaten to shatter Australia PM's rule Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:56 PM PDT SYDNEY, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott Wednesday threatened to bring down Julia Gillard's fragile minority government, one day after it was sworn in, by persuading independent MPs to support him.
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| S.Korea re-enacts historic battle despite North's complaints Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:54 PM PDT INCHEON, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Ships, planes and marines from South Korea, the United States and Australia re-enacted Wednesday the battle that turned the tide in the Korean War, despite protests from Pyongyang.
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| After riots, subsidies leave Mozambique in financial trap Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:53 PM PDT MAPUTO, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Hours after Mozambique's government announced renewed subsidies to quell deadly food riots, street vendor Nortencia Manica was still angry about the cost of living in the southern African country.
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| E-readers yet to win mass market in China Posted: 14 Sep 2010 10:52 PM PDT BEIJING, Wednesday 15 September 2010 (AFP) - Zhang Li started selling e-readers in Beijing six months ago, hoping to cash in on what she believed would be an inevitable market boom. Now, she's not so sure she made the right call.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| U.N. sees global hunger easing in 2010 Posted: 14 Sep 2010 11:30 PM PDT ROME (Reuters) - The number of people in the world suffering chronic malnutrition fell for the first time in 15 years in 2010, but volatile food prices could hamper efforts to fight hunger, the United Nations' food agency said on Tuesday.
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| Life of fear for Myanmar monk, three years on from protests Posted: 14 Sep 2010 02:53 PM PDT
"We have to be very careful," he said quietly, taking a break from his monastic duties in central Mandalay region. "The local authorities have a list of who was in the movement and I'm on that list." The 2007 protests began as small rallies against the rising cost of living but escalated into huge anti-government demonstrations led by crowds of monks, whose striking attire saw their movement dubbed the "Saffron Revolution". Posing the biggest challenge to military rule in nearly two decades, this peaceful swell of hope and defiance was dealt with mercilessly: at least 31 people were killed by security forces while hundreds were beaten and detained. Today more than 250 monks are imprisoned, thousands have been disrobed and key monasteries remain under constant watch for their role in the September rebellion, according to rights activists. Monk U Ottama, whose name has been changed for his protection, said government spies are everywhere. "The majority of monks don't like our regime... but we can do nothing. We are very unlucky for having a military government," he confided, as rust-red robes fluttered on the washing line outside. "I'm still angry with the regime. Whenever I think about them I get very angry. Every monk feels like me, I think." Bitter feelings Feelings of bitterness towards the junta may still be strong among the monks, who number up to 400,000 in Myanmar, but U Ottama said they were "very afraid" of joining -- let alone leading -- further anti-government action. He said the authorities had stepped up efforts since 2007 to curry favour with senior monks -- "to calm them down" and stop them talking about the regime -- who had then told their juniors to steer clear of dissident discussion. But in hushed corners, with fellow brethren he trusts, U Ottama talks about politics every day, and when the monastery's lights go out he tunes his radio to the BBC or Voice of America to get "correct news". "The Myanmar government says they are the killers of the airwaves," he said. Economic hardships present a further challenge for the wider population: since coming under military rule in 1962, Myanmar has slumped from prosperity to being one of the poorest countries in Asia. "The people have to work hard for food and clothing and living. They can't give much thought to politics or creating some movement. That's why they are not interested in the 2010 election," U Ottama said. The national poll, scheduled for Nov 7, will be Myanmar's first election in two decades but is widely expected to be neither fair nor free. A controversial constitution passed in 2008 bars monks from any formal political role, ending a long tradition in Myanmar. But U Ottama, in his 30s, still thinks they should be able to play a part. "In Thailand, the Buddhist monks don't take part in politics but they can have influence on the government," he said. "We should have a chance to vote, but we have no chances." Spiritual leadership The regime's wariness over the monks is understandable: they have a history of political defiance during Myanmar's most tumultuous periods and they command deep respect from the people. But another imminent "revolution" seems unlikely. "One of the downsides of the 2007 movement was that for this generation, it was potentially a one shot deal," said Myanmar analyst David Mathieson of Human Rights Watch. "It was a very brave and noble thing to do and it got a lot of support, but the regime knew exactly what to do to -- they brutally crushed it to send a message. The vast majority of the monks now want nothing to do with politics." Some of them have found other ways to channel their spiritual leadership. A senior monk in northern Yangon division said he was focused on local community work, rather than a political uprising. "We are all stakeholders. People need to do what we can at a grassroots level," said the 42-year-old, who says he took part in the Saffron Revolution "spiritually, not physically". "I think the monks would be willing to do something like the protests again but it's difficult because they are not well coordinated nationally," he said. But if the approaching election fails to bring reforms, U Ottama hopes the characteristic Buddhist tolerance of his countrymen -- however constrained by logistics and fear -- will wear thin. "If the situation does not change after the election, demonstrations will happen I think," he said. "We should no longer be patient." - AFP
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