SKorea says NKorea fires 3 short-range missiles
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters on Saturday, a South Korean official said. It routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing tensions.
First Saudi woman climbs to top of Everest
A 25-year-old graphic design graduate has become the first ever Saudi woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Raha Moharrak is the only female in a group of four Arabs who announced two months ago that they would be reaching the summit in 2013. “The first ever Saudi woman to attempt Everest has reached the top!! Bravo Raha Moharrak. We salute you,” said a tweet from the group. The “Arabs with Altitude” group includes Mohammed Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s royal family, Raed Zidan, a Palestinian real-estate businessman and Masoud Mohammad, an Iranian living in Dubai who owns an ice-cream franchise. Ahead of her trip, Moharrak said: “I really don’t care…
Afghan lawmakers block law on women’s rights
KABUL, Afghanistan — Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience. The fierce opposition highlights how tenuous women's rights remain a dozen years after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime, whose strict interpretation of Islam once kept Afghan women virtual prisoners in their homes. Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada, a conservative lawmaker for Herat province, said the legislation was withdrawn shortly after being introduced in parliament because of an uproar by…
Rescuers spot bodies at collapsed Indonesian mine
TIMIKA, Indonesia — Rescuers searching for 23 trapped workers at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia spotted six bodies Saturday but weren’t able to immediately retrieve them because of falling debris, a company official said. The collapse at the Big Gossan underground training facility at the PT Freeport Indonesia mine happened last Tuesday when 38 workers were undergoing safety training. Ten…
Afghan MPs block divisive women’s rights law
Afghanistan’s parliament has failed to pass a law banning violence against women, a severe blow to progress made in women’s rights since the Taliban was toppled over a decade ago. President Hamid Karzai approved the law by decree in 2009 and parliament’s endorsement was required. But a rift between conservative and more secular members of the assembly resulted in debate being deferred to a later date. Religious members objected to at least eight articles in the legislation, including keeping the legal age for women to marry at 16, the existence of shelters for domestic abuse victims and the halving of the number of wives permitted to two. “Today, the parliamentarians who…
Afghanistan Hit by Wave of Violence
KABUL, Afghanistan — A spate of violence across Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly two dozen Afghan police officers and civilians in the past few days, including a district police official assassinated over a recent anti-Taliban campaign. Related Attack on U.S. Military Vehicles Kills at Least 16 in Kabul (May 17, 2013) Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Two gunmen on motorcycles in the Khaki Safed district of Farah Province, in western Afghanistan, killed the police official, Abdul Ghani, in front of his home on Friday night, apparently as retribution for a crackdown on the Taliban that…
EABA Championship: Hong Kong join fancied trio in booking ticket to Manila (FIBA – International Basketball Federation)
(Source: FIBA – International Basketball Federation) 2012-13 EABA Championship Preliminary Round Standings Group A Group B Korea 3-0* China 2-0* Japan 2-1* Hong Kong 1-1* Ch. Taipei 1-2 Mongolia 0-2 Macau 0-3 — Semifinal Line-up (Sunday) Korea Vs. Hong Kong Japan Vs. China INCHEON, Korea ( 27th FIBA Asia Championship / 3rd EABA Championship): Korea will take on Hong Kong and China match wits with Japan in the semifinals…
Pressured, China Measures Its Impact in Myanmar
MADAY ISLAND, Myanmar — The pipelines are finished. The oil storage tanks gleam in the tropical sun. The deep-sea port set in jade-colored waters awaits the first ships bearing crude from the Middle East. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Enlarge This Image Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times A man stood in one of the houses Wanbao has built for farmers who agreed to sell their land. China’s ambition of transporting energy through the Indian Ocean and across the mountains of Myanmar seems close to fulfillment. Natural gas is scheduled to start flowing in July from wells deep in the Bay of Bengal…
North Korea fires three test missiles
North Korea fired three short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters today, a South Korean official said. It routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing tensions. The North fired two missiles Saturday morning and another in the afternoon (local time), South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said by phone. He said the North’s intent was unclear. His ministry said it…
FTS teams with Louise on Hermit
India and UK-based boutique studio Flick The Switch is teaming with Swiss production company Louise Productions to co-produce black comedy The Hermit. Written and directed by Swiss-Indian filmmaker Kumal Musale, the film revolves around a woman of Indian origin and her English husband who go to India to claim her inheritance, but find it has already been claimed by a crazy white hermit. Heinz Dill’s Louise Productions previously produced feature documentary L’Escale which is screening in Directors Fortnight. Flight The Switch, headed by Sheena Morjaria, was created to develop and market independent Indian cinema. Morjaria is looking…
Indonesia
Indonesia Travel Guide
With 17,508 islands Indonesia has it all: bustling cities, green rice paddies & glorious beaches. Read all about it in our Indonesia travel guide.
Malaysia
Malaysia Travel Guide
Malaysia, truly Asia! Read about multicultural Malaysia, the people, the culture & the food in our Malaysia travel guide.
Singapore
Singapore Travel Guide
The city state of Singapore is an eclectic metropolis. Get to know the hot spots & explore the urban jungle with our Singapore travel guide.
