News Archives

Japan to Go Broke by October? Standoff Threatens to 'Collapse' Budget
Japan's government could run out of money by the end of October, halting all state spending including salaries, pensions and unemployment benefits, because of a standoff in parliament that has blocked a bill to finance the deficit. China Gives Family in Forced-Abortion Case $11K
The family of a woman forced to undergo an abortion because she ran afoul of China's one-child policy has accepted a cash settlement from the government. Thailand Pardons US Man Jailed for Royal Insult
A US citizen sentenced to two-and-half years in prison for defaming Thailand's royal family was pardoned and released from jail late Tuesday, US Embassy officials told NBC News. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Historic Laos Visit
Hillary Clinton has become the first US secretary of state to visit Laos in 57 years, on a trip focusing on economic ties and the legacy of the Vietnam War. US Ambassador Derek Mitchell Arrives in Burma
The first US ambassador to Burma in 22 years, Derek Mitchell, has arrived in the country and met President Thein Sein. Parents face anxious wait over Cambodia's mystery illness
Before dawn, the line of parents trying to comfort their sick children stretched around the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Clinton chides Vietnam on protecting human rights
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she supports Vietnam's work to help resolve issues in the disputed South China Sea, but believes the communist country needs to do more to protect human rights. Singapore plans changes to mandatory death penalty
Singapore is proposing changes to its mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking and murder in some cases. Asean seeks China agreement on South China Sea code
The Association of South East Asia Nations (Asean) is to seek China's agreement on rules governing maritime issues, after it adopted key elements of a code of conduct, officials say. Probe into claims of India hospital sweeper acting as doctor
Authorities in India's Uttar Pradesh state have ordered an inquiry after reports that sweepers and other non-medical staff were acting up as doctors in a government hospital. Chinese Police 'Smash' Trafficking Gangs, Frees 181
Chinese police have broken up two major child trafficking gangs and freed 181 children, officials say. Investigators Probe Mystery Disease Killing Cambodian Children
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Cambodian health officials are investigating why at least 61 children in the country have died mysteriously after suffering severe neurological and respiratory complications. East Timor to Hold Key Parliamentary Elections
East Timor is holding its general elections, a key test that will decide whether UN peace keepers leave by the end of the year. Laos Vows to Address Concerns Over Mekong River Dam
Laos will not press ahead with the construction of a controversial dam on the Mekong river until environmental issues have been resolved, state-run media report. Clinton's Marathon Trip Tackles a Range of U.S. Foreign Policy Issues
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarked on a trip that will tackle some of the thorniest U.S. foreign policy issues, including the unrelenting violence in Syria and the conflict in Afghanistan. Mystery disease kills 61 kids in Cambodia
Health officials in Cambodia are searching for the cause of a mystery disease that has killed more than 60 children over the past three months, the World Health Organization said Thursday. China official vows 'iron fist' crackdown in Xinjiang
A top Chinese official has pledged a crackdown on "separatist forces" in Xinjiang, three years after ethnic violence there, state-run media report. South Korea activist arrested as he steps across border on return from North
South Korean authorities arrested a pro-North Korea activist as he walked across the rival states' heavily armed border on Thursday ending an unauthorized visit to Pyongyang in alleged violation of a bitterly disputed anti-communism law. India: Pakistan needs to arrest Mumbai attackers
India is calling on Pakistan to prosecute the architects of the 2008 attack on the financial capital of Mumbai as a major step toward confidence building in their renewed peace efforts. Burma: Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo resigns
Burmese authorities have confirmed that a vice president known as a hardliner has resigned.