|
Top Asian News at 4:30 a.m. GMT
(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Police in Mongolian capital cordon off downtown in emergency declared over post-vote violenceULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AP) _ Mongolian police cordoned off the capital's downtown Wednesday at the start of a four-day emergency declared after protesters torched the headquarters of the ruling party, alleging fraud in weekend elections. President Nambaryn Enkhbayar's decree, issued early Wednesday, allows police to use force in dealing with thousands of rock-throwing protesters who clashed with police officers and mobbed the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) headquarters and set it on fire.
Malaysia's Anwar says he has alibi to prove he did not sodomize young manKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he has an alibi to prove he did not sodomize a young man whose accusation has temporarily derailed his bid to re-enter Parliament and bring down the government. "This government and this leadership is under siege," Anwar told a news conference Tuesday.
State backs down on shrine issue as Muslims and Hindus protest in Indian KashmirSRINAGAR, India (AP) _ Authorities reversed a controversial plan to transfer land to a Hindu shrine in Muslim majority Indian-held Kashmir, but instead of cooling tensions, the move sparked fresh protests by both Hindu nationalists and Muslim activists. The unrest, which has left five people dead and hundreds wounded, was sparked two weeks ago when the state government transferred 99 acres (40 hectares) of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, a trust running a revered Hindu shrine.
US, NATO deaths in Afghanistan surpass deaths in Iraq for 2nd straight monthKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in June than in Iraq for the second straight month, a grim milestone capping a run of headline-grabbing insurgent attacks that analysts say underscore the Taliban's growing strength. The fundamentalist militia in June staged a sophisticated jailbreak that freed 886 prisoners, then briefly infiltrated a strategic valley outside Kandahar. Last week, a Pentagon report forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase its pace of attacks, which are already up 40 percent this year from 2007 where U.S. troops operate along the Pakistan border.
UN chief meeting China president, premier, on visit focusing on food, other global crisesBEIJING (AP) _ U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon was meeting top Chinese officials Wednesday during a visit to Beijing expected to focus on food security and other major international challenges. Ban was due to first meet Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, followed by afternoon sessions with Premier Wen Jiabao and president and Communist Party leader Hu Jintao.
Former Khmer Rouge foreign minister claims double jeopardy at Cambodian genocide hearingPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) _ The former Khmer Rouge foreign minister faced Cambodia's genocide tribunal for the third day Wednesday after his lawyers argued that trying him violates "double jeopardy" principles because he has already been convicted on similar charges and pardoned. The United Nations-assisted court has charged Ieng Sary, 82, with crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Hyundai Motor workers to strike over US beef importsSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Tens of thousands of auto workers in South Korea went on strike Wednesday to oppose the government's lifting of a ban on U.S. beef imports. About 33,000 workers at Kia Motors Corp. stopped work for two hours, and some 45,000 workers at South Korea's largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor Co., planned to do the same later in the day, union officials said.
US-led coalition: Warplanes kill 33 militants in eastern AfghanistanKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Helicopters and a bomber attacked insurgents massing in eastern Afghanistan under cover of darkness and killed more than 30 of them, the U.S.-led coalition said Tuesday. Reconnaissance aircraft spotted "large groupings" of insurgents armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades on Monday night in Khost province, the coalition said.
Secrecy surrounds meeting between envoys of Dalai Lama and Chinese governmentBEIJING (AP) _ Secrecy surrounded talks Tuesday between envoys of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government aimed at easing tensions following anti-government riots that rocked Tibet in March. The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile has said two days of talks were to start in China's capital on Tuesday, but Chinese officials would not confirm any details such as where the meeting would be held, what the agenda was, or when it would start.
US congressmen say Bush should not attend Beijing Olympics without China prisoner releasesBEIJING (AP) _ A pair of visiting U.S. congressmen called on President George W. Bush to steer clear of next month's Beijing Olympics unless China makes substantial improvements in its treatment of dissidents, including releasing prisoners of conscience. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Frank Wolf of Virginia spoke Tuesday on a visit to Beijing during which security agents blocked a group of dissidents from dining with them.
Pakistani forces destroy HQ of militant group as Khyber operation continuesPESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) _ Pakistani forces destroyed a major militant compound in the troubled Khyber tribal region Tuesday as an operation against extremists entered its fourth day, a government official said. The site in the Malik Dinkhel area served as a key headquarters for the banned group Lashkar-e-Islam. Purdil Khan, a government official from nearby Bara, said the paramilitary forces faced no resistance in the area Tuesday.
Mongolian president declares state of emergency in capital following violent protestsULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AP) _ Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar has declared a four-day state of emergency in the county's capital after angry protesters stormed the headquarters of the ruling political party claiming election fraud. According to the president's decree, no public gatherings will be permitted in Ulan Bator during the emergency period that began Wednesday just after midnight.
China says police to reopen probe into teenager's death that caused riotWENG'AN, China (AP) _ An investigation into the death of a teenage girl will be reopened, state media reported Tuesday, as officials bowed to public anger over an alleged police cover-up in this southwest China town. Police initially determined that the high school student drowned, angering locals who believe she was raped and murdered, perhaps by children of local officials. In response some 30,000 people rampaged through Weng'an on Saturday, torching cars and police headquarters in the town in hilly Guizhou province.
Nepalese police detain Tibetan monks, nuns at China border to stop protest marchKATMANDU, Nepal (AP) _ Nepalese police detained a group of Tibetan monks and nuns Tuesday who were marching toward the Chinese border to protest China's crackdown on dissidents in their homeland, officials said. The 42 protesters were about seven miles (11 kilometers) from the China-Nepal border when police blocked their path. Police asked them to return around, and when they refused, they were all detained, said police official Birendra Shahi.
Sri Lanka's military says the air force has bombed rebel navy and air basesCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's air force bombed a Tamil Tiger rebel air base and a rebel navy base, while separate ground clashes in the country's war-torn north left 20 combatants dead, the military said Tuesday. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the rebel sea base was targeted Monday night, while the air base was bombed early Tuesday.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[ Back To Smart Product Home's Homepage ]
|