site.news_by_theme Asia Pacific
China sniffs out EEurope investment opportunities
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang arrives in Romania on Monday ahead of a summit with 16 Central and Eastern European leaders keen to woo investment from the world's number two economy.
25 November 2013
World powers, Iran clinch 'historic' nuclear deal
World leaders hailed Sunday a "historic" nuclear deal with Iran as a triumph for diplomacy, but cautioned the hard work was just starting to keep Tehran from building a bomb.
25 November 2013
China creates air defence zone over Japan-controlled islands
Beijing on Saturday announced it was setting up an "air defence identification zone" over an area that includes islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China, in a move that could inflame the bitter territorial row.
24 November 2013
Cutting-edge coal plants planned in Fukushima
A Japanese utility plans to construct two cutting-edge coal power plants in Fukushima, an area severely hit by the 2011 nuclear disaster, a report said Saturday.
24 November 2013
North Korea admits holding US citizen
North Korea has acknowledged that it is holding another American, but has so far barred Western officials any access to the detainee, a US official said Friday.
23 November 2013
Stars gather in Taiwan for Chinese 'Oscars'
Stars from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan gathered in Taipei on Saturday for this year's Golden Horse Film Awards with Wong Kar-wai's martial arts epic "The Grandmaster" leading the race with 11 nominations.
23 November 2013
More than a million Xbox One consoles sold on launch day
Microsoft on Friday crowed that more than a million Xbox One consoles were snapped up within 24 hours in 13 countries after hitting shelves for the first time in the morning.
23 November 2013
China plans to launch crude oil futures market
China, the world's largest energy consumer, on Friday took a step towards launching a market of its own for crude oil futures -- which foreign investors may be allowed to trade.
23 November 2013
Don't eat furry friends, activists urge Chinese diners
Animal rights campaigners have launched a poster campaign urging Chinese diners to turn down cat and dog dishes, with the group calling for the creatures to be considered "friends not food".
23 November 2013
Malaysia's 'Lizard King' back in business: report
A notorious Malaysian wildlife trafficker dubbed the "Lizard King" for his smuggling of endangered reptiles is back in business despite a 2010 conviction for illegally trafficking endangered species, according to an investigative report by Al Jazeera.
22 November 2013
Norwegian prodigy Carlsen on brink of world chess title
Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen needs just a draw later Friday to be crowned world chess champion after taking an almost unassailable lead against India's Viswanathan Anand in a one-sided contest.
22 November 2013
Apple awarded $290 mln in Samsung patent case
A US federal jury Thursday ordered Samsung to pay $290 million in damages to Apple in a partial retrial of a blockbuster patent case involving the two smartphone giants.
22 November 2013
Hugh Jackman reveals treated for skin cancer
Australian actor Hugh Jackman revealed Thursday that he had been treated for skin cancer, posting a picture of himself with a plaster on his nose.
22 November 2013
Leonardo DiCaprio boosts Nepal bid to save tigers
A foundation set up by actor Leonardo DiCaprio pitched in $3 million Thursday to save tigers in Nepal, whose plan to double the big cats' population has shown success.
22 November 2013
Xbox One makes hot debut as console war revs up
Gamers in more than a dozen countries started snapping up new-generation Xbox One consoles Friday as Microsoft battled Sony to be at the heart of Internet age home entertainment.
22 November 2013
Three women rescued in London 'after 30 years in slavery'
Three traumatised women have been rescued from a house in London after being held as slaves for at least 30 years with one of them having spent her entire life in servitude, police said Thursday.
22 November 2013
N. Korea threatens 'sea of fire' for S. Korea president HQ
North Korea on Friday marked the anniversary of its shelling of a South Korean border island with a threat to turn South Korea's presidential office into a "sea of fire".
22 November 2013
iPhone maker Foxconn invests $40 million in US
Taiwan's Foxconn, the maker of iPhones, iPads and other electronics in China, said Thursday it would invest $40 million in the United States to ramp up manufacturing of high-end products.
22 November 2013
New Japan islet created in volcano eruption
A dramatic volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean has created a tiny new islet in Japan's territorial waters, officials said Thursday, the first time in decades the nation has seen the phenomenon.
22 November 2013
BoJ holds fire on stimulus, says economy recovering
The Bank of Japan on Thursday held off announcing any fresh measures to stimulate the economy, saying it was "recovering moderately" and that efforts to stoke inflation were taking hold.
21 November 2013