Global tax evasion under G20 scrutinyUS Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew described taxation reform as among the G20's most crucial initiatives Friday as the world's major economies look to close loopholes used by huge multinational firms.
21 February 2014
World's only captive leopard seal put downThe world's only captive leopard seal, which washed up in Sydney with a shark bite to his abdomen seven years ago, has been put down at an Australian zoo.
21 February 2014
S. Koreans head for bittersweet family reunion in NorthA group of 82 elderly, frail South Koreans, two of them in ambulances, left for the North Korean border Thursday to attend the first reunion in more than three years for families divided by the Korean War.
20 February 2014
Exclusive Japan bar sues website for unwanted publicityAn exclusive Japanese bar is suing a foodie website, arguing that unwanted publicity from a review is damaging its operational strategy of being little-known and hard to find.
20 February 2014
Japan public sceptical on death penalty: studyJapan's public is less enthusiastic about capital punishment than government research shows, a new study has claimed, amid an acceleration in the rate of executions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
20 February 2014
Australia PM 'won't be blackmailed' after bloody PNG riotPrime Minister Tony Abbott Thursday said he will not succumb to "moral blackmail" over an Australian detention centre on Papua New Guinea, as graphic witness accounts of recent violence told of "blood everywhere".
100-tonne radioactive water leak at Fukushima: TEPCOA new leak of 100 tonnes of highly radioactive water has been discovered at Fukushima, the plant's operator said Thursday after it revealed only one of nine thermometers in a crippled reactor was still working.
20 February 2014
First Malaysian dinosaur fossil found: researchersA Malaysian university unveiled on Wednesday what researchers called the first dinosaur fossil ever found in the country -- the tooth of a fish-eating predator estimated to be at least 75 million years old.
19 February 2014
Australia urges G20 to commit to faster growth targetsAustralian Treasurer Joe Hockey said Wednesday it was "hugely important" that G20 leaders agree to faster global growth targets when they meet in Sydney this weekend.
19 February 2014
New Zealand court finds raid on Kim Dotcom was legalA New Zealand appeals court ruled Wednesday that police acted legally when armed officers raided Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom's Auckland mansion as part of a US-led online piracy probe.
19 February 2014
Husband joins search in Bali for missing Japan diverThe husband of a Japanese diver missing off Bali since last week joined the search for his wife Wednesday, following the dramatic rescue of five others in the group and the death of a sixth.
Ai Weiwei brushes off painter's smashing of $1m vaseChinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei shrugged off the smashing of a $1 million Han dynasty vase that was part of his exhibition at a Miami museum, saying his works often get broken.
19 February 2014
Thai PM to be charged with neglect of dutyThai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will be charged with neglect of duty over a rice farm subsidy scheme and could be removed from office if found guilty.
19 February 2014
Malaysia tops survey of 'halal holidays' for MuslimsMalaysia is the world's friendliest destination for Muslim travellers, according to a survey released Tuesday, but Japan has shown most improvement as it ramps up efforts to cash in on a growing market.
18 February 2014
Brainwashing, surveillance, fear: daily fare in N.KoreaBrainwashed from birth, under constant surveillance, cowed by the all-embracing state and facing the spectre of disappearing forever in its vast network of camps if they step out of line.
18 February 2014
Philippine Supreme Court says law on online libel constitutionalThe Philippine Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a controversial cybercrime law penalising online libel is constitutional, amid claims it is intended to curb Internet freedom in one of Asia's most freewheeling democracies.