site.news_by_theme Asia Pacific
Singapore ruling party wins majority in snap election
Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won a majority in snap parliamentary elections, official results showed.
12 September 2015
Japan author Murakami releases latest book
Popular Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's new book has gone on sale, with a major domestic bookstore chain buying 90 percent of the initial print run in a direct challenge to online rivals.
11 September 2015
Singapore votes as opposition seeks end of one-party dominance
Singaporeans will cast their votes in a snap parliamentary election after a heated campaign that boosted opposition hopes of further eroding half a century of dominance by the ruling party.
11 September 2015
Whisky, clubs, music: Karachi's nightlife behind closed doors
Karachi, Pakistan's biggest and most diverse city, was once home to a famous nightclub scene where alcohol flowed freely and luminaries from the world of jazz played to packed crowds eager for a taste of Western culture.
11 September 2015
Bin Laden doctor languishes in Pakistan prison as appeal lingers
The lawyer for a Pakistani doctor who was jailed after helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden accused the government of deliberately delaying his appeal after the case was adjourned for the sixteenth time.
10 September 2015
Floods spark evacuations as Japan is deluged
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to flee homes across Japan as heavy rain pounded the country, sending radiation-tainted waters into the ocean at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
10 September 2015
Ditch English for Urdu, Pakistan court orders government
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the government to implement Urdu as the country's official language, replacing English in all communications.
09 September 2015
Turkey hunts PKK in Iraq as nationalist violence spreads
Turkish forces crossed into Iraq to pursue Kurdish militants after dozens were killed in the deadliest attacks for years, as protesters assailed offices of the main pro-Kurdish party in a night of nationalist-tinged violence.
09 September 2015
North, South Korea to hold family reunion in October
North and South Korea agreed to hold a reunion in October for families separated by the Korean War, following all-night talks between their respective Red Cross branches.
08 September 2015
Japanese PM re-elected party leader, despite waning popularity
Japanese premier Shinzo Abe was on Tuesday re-elected head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, despite falling popularity over efforts to expand the military's role and a stuttering economy.
08 September 2015
Australia's tough migrant policy wobbles as sympathy soars for Syrians
Australia's hardline policy on asylum-seekers is under pressure as public sympathy for Syrians escaping conflict swells in a nation built on migration.
08 September 2015
Turkey PM vows to 'wipe out PKK terrorists' after deadly attack
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to "wipe out" Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants from their mountain strongholds after 16 soldiers were killed in a rebel attack.
08 September 2015
Australia court adjourns Johnny Depp dog case
The court case against actor Johnny Depp's wife Amber Heard for allegedly smuggling two dogs into Australia -- dubbed the 'war on terrier'.
07 September 2015
Thousands of Palestinian structures under Israeli demolition orders: UN
Some 13,000 Palestinian structures in the West Bank are currently under Israeli demolition orders, leaving residents and homes "in a state of chronic uncertainty and threat".
07 September 2015
Netanyahu says will not allow Israel to be 'submerged' by refugees
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow Israel to be "submerged" by refugees after calls for the Jewish state to take in those fleeing Syria's war.
07 September 2015
Pakistan marks 50th anniversary of India war amid tensions
Pakistan marked the 50th anniversary of its second war with arch-rival India, weeks after the two nuclear powers faced off in some of their deadliest skirmishes for over a decade.
07 September 2015
Turkish PM slams refugee policy of 'Christian fortress Europe'
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu criticised the "ridiculously small" share of refugees the EU is accepting, labelling the continent the "Christian fortress Europe."
07 September 2015
Google may return to China with Android app shop: report
Google is talking with Chinese authorities and smartphone makers about opening an online shop in China stocked with applications for Android-powered mobile devices.
05 September 2015
Kazakh President Nazarbayev attends military parade in China
President of Kazakhstan has visited the military parade in Beijing in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Victory.
04 September 2015
McDonald's Japan hit by another food scandal
McDonald's in Japan said it was investigating an incident involving a customer who was injured by plastic shards found inside a drink, the latest in a string of food contamination scandals.
04 September 2015