Vietnam Society RSS News Feed by Intellasia.Net

ADB sees poverty on the rise in Asia

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:09:00 PST

Poverty is on the rise, and the Asian Development Bank has warned governments throughout the region, including the Philippines, not to go slow on their pump-priming initiatives to counter the ill effects of the global economic turmoil.

China paper says Web filter only a matter of time

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:06:00 PST

It is only a matter of time before a controversial scheme to install Internet filtering software on all computers begins in China, a state newspaper said on Thursday, after the plan was abruptly delayed this week.

Thailand and Cambodia order troops to be on alert

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:04:00 PST

Both Thailand and Cambodia ordered their soldiers Thursday to be on alert in case fighting erupts at their disputed border, despite conciliatory remarks by the Thai prime minister.

No more treatment for Corazon Aquino: report

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:03:00 PST

Former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, who is battling colon cancer, has decided to forgo further chemotherapy or any other medical treatment, her spokeswoman has been quoted as saying.

FACTBOX-N Korea's suspected human rights abuses

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The following is a list of human rights abuses carried out by North Korea, according to a US State Department report released earlier this year.

China blasts US climate bill

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

China said on Thursday that it was "firmly" opposed to provisions in a new US clean energy bill that will make it easier to impose trade penalties on nations that reject limits to globe-warming pollution.

Restriction of lawyers' freedom in Cambodia

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A United Nations independent human rights expert today voiced concern at attempts to curtail lawyers' freedom to effectively represent their clients in Cambodia, with criminal charges being leveled recently against attorneys in the South-East Asian nation.

HK employer fined for forcing maid to kowtow 100 times

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A Hong Kong couple assaulted their Filipino maid and forced her to kowtow 100 times after she served an inadequately cooked meal, a court report said Friday.

China babies 'sold for adoption'

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Dozens of baby girls in southern China have reportedly been taken from parents who broke family-planning laws, and then sold for adoption overseas.

Malaysia opposition split in pig abattoir dispute

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Malaysia's opposition alliance struggled to settle an ethnic dispute Thursday after Muslim officials decided to demolish a pig slaughterhouse, angering their ethnic Chinese allies.

Japan students rush for English-language education

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee.

YouTube opens online 'school' for citizen journalists

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

At the YouTube School of Journalism, classes only last about five minutes, there is no homework and the faculty includes the likes of Bob Woodward, Katie Couric and Arianna Huffington.

'War on terror' used to target minorities: report

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Countries on the front line in the "war on terror" are using the battle against extremists as a smokescreen to crack down on minority groups, an international human rights group said on Thursday.

INTERVIEW-Philippine Muslim rebels urge truce, peace talks

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Muslim rebels want the Philippine government to halt an offensive in the southern Mindanao region and revive peace talks to end a decades-old conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people, a rebel leader said on Wednesday.

Justice sought over Malaysia massacre

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A delegation of Malaysian lawyers is trying to convince the UK government to re-open an investigation into the 1948 killing of 24 Malaysian men by the British military in the village of Batang Kali.

Raising doubts over HK's feng shui 'masters'

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:13:00 PST

A high-profile court battle over the huge estate of late Hong Kong tycoon Nina Wang has lifted the lid on the city's obsession with the ancient Chinese energy system of feng shui.

Tens of thousands march for democracy in HK

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:05:00 PST

Tens of thousands of people took to the sweltering streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday for an annual pro-democracy march, as the city marked the 12th anniversary of its return to China.

K Rouge torture survivor saw 'hell on earth'

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:03:00 PST

One of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge's notorious Tuol Sleng prison gave chilling testimony of "hell on earth" when he faced his former torturer at a U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal on Wednesday.

K Rouge jail survivor weeps over lost wife

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A distraught survivor of the Khmer Rouge's main prison told Cambodia's war crimes court how he lost his wife and torturers beat him bloody in an attempt to make him confess to being a CIA spy.

Thai army commander says troop cuts needed to ease border tensions

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Troop reductions are crucial to easing tensions along the border with Cambodia near the Preah Vihear temple, the 2nd Army commander says.

Enraged elephant stomps 3 Thai workers to death

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A rampaging elephant stomped three rubber tappers to death in southern Thailand on Wednesday after it was left to wander freely by its handler, police said.

David Carradine died of asphyxiation - pathologist

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The medical examiner who oversaw a private autopsy on David Carradine said on Wednesday that the "Kung Fu" star died from asphyxiation and the way the actor's body was bound allowed him to rule out suicide.

Wining and dining still popular in downturn

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The economic downturn appears to go down better with a meal and a glass of wine, with a survey showing consumers outside Europe and the United States do not intend to cut back on dining out and having fun.

Are children more likely to survive plane crashes?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A 12-year-old girl survived the Yemeni plane crash, the latest in a line of children to escape death in an air disaster. So do youngsters have a better chance of living when a plane goes down?

Hmong refugees fear forced deportation attempt

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Hmong refugees held at Nong Khai jail, Thailand fear they may be secretly deported to Laos this coming July 4th weekend when the diplomatic community is off on holiday.

Angkor's temples and climate change doom

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The ancient civilisation based at Angkor in Cambodia collapsed in the late 16th century because of problems with a very modern ring to them, research by an international team indicates.

Malaysia royalty defers ban on minors' conversion

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A council of Malaysia's royalty has deferred a decision on whether to ban religious conversion of minors by one parent without the spouse's consent-a source of several interfaith disputes in this Muslim-majority nation.

Indonesia launches rocket into space

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Indonesia has successfully launched a home-grown rocket into space as part of plans to send a satellite into orbit by 2014, according to officials.

Indonesia's poverty rate falls - statistics bureau

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Indonesia's poverty rate, among the highest in Asia, fell to 14.15 percent in March from 15.42 percent a year ago, as a good harvest and stable rice prices lifted farmers' incomes, the statistics bureau said on Wednesday.

Alleged people smuggler to Australian says he 'offered hope'

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

AN alleged people-smuggling kingpin in prison in Indonesia tried to help asylum seekers reach Australia because he felt sorry for them.

HK gamble $155m in one day despite slump

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Hong Kong gamblers sent out a positive note about the state of the city's economy by staking more than 155 million US dollars on the last racing day of the season, officials said Thursday.

Philippines foils tree smugglers

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Wildlife officials have foiled an apparent attempt to smuggle rare 200-year-old trees out of the Philippines, the government said Wednesday.

Lightning strikes twice, kills 2 in Philippines

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Police say lightning strikes have separately killed two people in the northern and central Philippines within hours of each other.

K Rouge tore off toenails of suspected traitor

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:03:00 PST

One of three living survivors from the Khmer Rouge's main torture centre testified Tuesday that he endured beatings, electric shocks and had his toenails pulled out but was spared execution because he knew how to fix cars.

Singapore opens Asian Youth Games

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:14 PST

Students perform during the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Games in Singapore June 29, 2009.

Cambodia gets more time to submit Preah Vihear plans

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Cambodia has until February next year to submit its plan for safeguarding and developing the Preah Vihear temple, Natural Resource and Environment minister Suwit Khunkitti said yesterday.

Korea's first swingers' club poses legal dilemma

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

South Korea's first swingers' club -- where couples can swap partners for sex -- has made a roaring debut, leaving police who want to close it down struggling to respond.

Toothless rights body would hurt Asean group

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

As the target date for launching the Asean human rights body (AHRB) nears, civil society groups have warned depriving it of watchdog powers would erode the credibility of the regional organisation.

China backs down from requirement for web filter

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

In a rare reversal, China's government gave in to domestic and international pressure and backed down Tuesday from a rule that would have required personal computers sold in the country to have Internet-filtering software.

Primate ancestor may be from Asia, not Africa

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A new Myanmar fossil primate, Ganlea megacanina, suggests the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from large-toothed primates in Asia and not Africa, according to new research published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

US, Indonesia sign debt for nature agreement

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The United States and Indonesia signed an agreement in which the largest Southeast Asian nation will commit to protect tropical forests in return for reduced debt payments to Washington, officials said Tuesday.

Indonesia's music underground finds political voice

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The saccharine world of Indonesian pop is being rocked by a new wave of underground bands that aren't afraid to take aim at the country's political elite ahead of July 8 presidential elections.

Indonesia premier hopefuls accused on environment

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

Presidential hopefuls vying for Indonesia's top job next week are ignoring the environment, despite dire threats from global warming and deforestation, environmental group Greenpeace has said.

A look at world's deadliest air disasters

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

A look at some of the world's deadliest air disasters:

50,000th Burmese refugee from Thai border to be resettled in West, says UN

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PST

The 50,000th refugee from Burma to leave the camps along the country's border with Thailand for resettlement abroad will arrive in the US on Tuesday, the United Nations Refugee Agency said.

US to promote Asian energy security

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:22:00 PST

Indonesian and Asian renewable energy project developers are frustrated by lack of access to finance in a global crisis. Fossil fuel is subsidised in most Asian countries, while renewable energy is not.

'10,000 refugees set for Australia'

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:06:00 PST

Indonesian authorities have warned of a huge new wave of asylum seekers heading for Australia, with as many as 10,000 waiting in Malaysia to make the journey via Indonesia.

UN chief seeks to free reporters in N Korea

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:05:00 PST

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that he is making personal efforts to try to free two US journalists imprisoned in North Korea and that he played a role in the release last month of another jailed journalist in Iran.

Vietnam War leftover ordnance has killed 42,000

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:04:00 PST

Unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War has killed more than 42,000 people in the country since the conflict ended more than three decades ago, and deadly accidents continue daily, a senior military official said Monday.

Korean intelligence agency runs 'spot the spy' game

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:15 PST

South Korea's normally publicity-shy intelligence agency is creating a stir among liberal groups with a "spot the spy" flash video game offering a variety of prizes.