23 Tajik soldiers dead after rebel attack - Summary

Dushanbe, Tajikistan - Suspected terrorists attacked a convoy of troops in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan Sunday, killing at least 23, according to local media.

Ten others were injured by gunfire in the attack on the convoy in eastern Tajikistan, about 185 kilometres east of the capital, Dushanbe.

Authorities suspect terrorists, many of whom escaped jail in August during a mass prison break and took to the mountains bordering China. The area was the headquarters of a rebellion in the 1990s that left tens of thousands dead in the country.

President Emomali Rahmon called on security forces to use "all necessary means" to ensure order in the region.

Military and secret service officials were searching for the attackers, which are believed to include members of the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which is aligned with al-Qaeda.

Defence Minister Sheraly Khairulloyev was on his way to survey the attack site.

Violent incidents are on the rise in Tajikistan. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in front of a police station earlier this month, killing two police officers.
 

Thai exports up 23.9 per cent in August

Bangkok - Thai exports rose 23.9 per cent year-on-year in August to reach 16.45 billion dollars, the Commerce Ministry said Monday.

Imports for the month were 15.8 billion dollars, up 41.1 per cent, leaving the kingdom with a surplus of 643 million dollars.

Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said exports were up in all sectors last month, with the value of rubber exports jumping 97 per cent. Thailand's main exports include electronics, electrical appliances and automobiles.

Thailand's exports have been the main engine for growth this year, after anti-government demonstrations and the ensuing crackdown in April-May impacted tourism and consumer spending.

For the period from January to August, exports reached 125.08 billion dollars, up 32.63 per cent year-on-year, while imports rose 47.9 per cent to 119 billion dollars.

The Commerce Ministry has set an export growth target of 20 per cent this year, bringing a total figure for the year of 183 billion dollars.

Exports are expected to slow in the latter part of 2010, as demand for Thai goods eases in the US and Europe, and the baht's strength against the dollar undermines the competitiveness of Thai exports.
 

US commander in Afghanistan expects attacks during election

Berlin - The US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has told Germany's Bild newspaper that he expects Taliban attacks during the country's elections.

"We definitely know this because we have uncovered some of their plans and obstructed them," he was quoted saying. Bild released a German translation of his English remarks on Saturday. It said he was interviewed in Kabul. The full text was to be published Monday.

"Within in a space of just 24 hours, we caught eight terrorists who were planning attacks on election day.

"The previous election day a year ago was also marred by violence. So we are prepared," he said, according to Bild's media release.

Petraeus attributed the recent upsurge in western casualties in Afghanistan - nearly 300 soldiers have been killed since June - to the push into Taliban areas. He said the other side had been expected to resist.

"We always knew this was going to become more difficult before it became easier," he was quoted saying.
 

1.<For China's Liao, 15th bid to go abroad is the charm - Feature >

Beijing - Finally sitting in an airplane that would take him to Germany, Chinese writer and poet Liao Yiwu seemed nervous and agitated on Tuesday night.

"We are about to go," he whispered into his mobile phone shortly before takeoff in Beijing.

Liao, 52, was leaving his homeland for the first time, after 14 unsuccessful previous attempts. Just last March, police had hauled him off a plane in his hometown Chengdu, in south-west China, as he prepared to fly to Germany for a literature festival in Cologne.

Repeated intercession by the German government had so far proved fruitless.

Until he was actually on his way, Liao dared not believe he would make it. But he did.

"No one stopped me this time," he told the German Press Agency

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2.<Suspected US missile strikes kill 17 in Pakistan - Summary >

Peshawar, Pakistan - Two suspected US missile strikes on Wednesday killed at least 17 people and injured several others in a Pakistan tribal region along the Afghan border, security officials said.

Ten missiles fired from three unmanned drones hit two compounds in the Darga Mandi area of North Waziristan, a known hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

"Both houses were destroyed, and the residents pulled 12 bodies and several injured from the rubble," a local intelligence official said on the condition of anonymity. "Two of the injured later succumbed to their injuries."

A second intelligence official confirmed the pre-dawn missile strikes and the death toll. He said that almost all of those killed were members of the Haqqani network - a terrorist organization led by Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The group has been blamed for launching cross-border raids on NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan from their bases in North Waziristan.

Hours later, another US drone strike on a house in Payekhel village in North Waziristan killed three people another security official said "were also from Haqqani group."

Wednesday's drone attacks were the fourth in North Waziristan in a 24-hour period. The attacks have 32 people dead, many of them suspected militants.

The United States does not officially acknowledge the drone strikes. Pakistan condemns them officially, but many analysts said they believe its agents secretly pass information to US intelligence services about possible targets.
Copyright DPA
 

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3.<Typhoon kills dozens in North Korea>

Seoul - Typhoon Kompasu killed dozens of people in North Korea when it hit the country two weeks ago, state media reported Wednesday.

"Cloud bursts, strong winds and landslides" were responsible for the deaths early this month, according to the reports.

The storm destroyed more than 8,000 buildings as well as crops, roads, tram lines and electricity cables.

Kompasu also caused extensive damage in South Korea, where it killed three people.

In the South, there was speculation that the reconstruction work could be used as a reason to postpone a congress of the ruling Korean Workers Party in Pyongyang, the first to be held in 30 years.

South Korean media also reported that the poor health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had led to a delay in the meeting, which North Korea said was to take place at the beginning of this month.

When the meeting is to take place remained unclear.

Observers said they believed Kim would use the occasion to position his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to succeed him.

The South Korean Red Cross announced this week that it would send supplies of rice and cement worth 10 billion won (8.6 million dollars) to its Stalinist neighbour to help in the aftermath of floods in August.

North Korea requested them following an offer made by the South despite tensions between the two states.

Four detained for killing of three Spaniards in Afghanistan

   Madrid - Four people have been detained in connection with the killing of two Spanish police trainers and their interpreter in Afghanistan on August 25, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Wednesday.

Investigations would continue until all those responsible for the killings would face justice, Zapatero told parliament, without giving further details.

 Two Spanish police instructors and their Iranian-born Spanish interpreter were shot dead by a police driver while teaching Afghan police officers at a Spanish military base in Qala-I-Naw. Other Spanish police officers then shot the killer dead.

 The Spanish government described the killing as a premeditated terrorist attack.

 Spain has about 1,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Gems worth 1 million US dollars stolen at Hong Kong jewellery fair

Hong Kong - Gems worth 1 million US dollars were stolen on the first day of an international jewellery trade fair in Hong Kong, police said Wednesday.

 Two men were arrested for allegedly stealing a seven-carat diamond worth 450,000 US dollars and replacing it with a fake on Tuesday at the five-day Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair.

 Later, an emerald necklace worth more than 500,000 US dollars was stolen from another booth, and in two separate incidents thieves snatched pearls worth a total of 25,000 US dollars, a police spokesman said.

 The exhibition at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld Expo and Convention and Exhibition Centre showcases 3,200 exhibitors from 45 countries and is expected to draw a total of 40,000 visitors before it ends on Saturday.

Singapore's jobless rate reaches lowest level in two years

Singapore - Singapore's jobless rate stayed unchanged at 2.2 per cent in June compared to three months earlier, reflecting the lowest level in two years, government data released Wednesday showed.

 Spurred by a strong economic expansion, total employment rose for the fourth consecutive quarter, with gains of 24,900 jobs in the three months through June, the Ministry of Manpower said.

 In the first half 2010, total gains came up to 61,400, providing a sharp contrast to a loss of 13,800 jobs in the same period a year ago, it added.

 Redundancies remained at around pre-recession quarterly levels, with 2,280 workers being laid-off in the second quarter, the ministry said.

 For the first time in the economic recovery, job vacancies slightly outnumbered job seekers.

Woman who stalked Hong Kong doctor for 10 years prosecuted

Posted on : 2010-09-14 | Author : dpa News Category : Asia

Hong Kong - A lovesick woman who stalked a Hong Kong doctor for 10 years has been warned she would be jailed immediately if she contacts him again, a news report said Tuesday.  Chan Yuk-fung, who is in her 40s, has bombarded paediatrician Ng Yiu-ki with love letters, e-mails and gifts of food for the past decade, the South China Morning Post said.  The doctor obtained an injunction last year barring her from contacting him or going within 50 metres of him, but Chan, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, defied the court order.  At a court hearing Monday, Chan was found guilty of contempt of court for breaching the injunction and given a suspended three-week jail sentence.  She was also ordered to pay 12,700 US dollars in legal costs on top of another 18,000 US dollars she owes in legal costs for previous court hearings.  Chan contacted the doctor 15 times from May to July and later sent him vouchers for mooncakes, a traditional Chinese food eaten at the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls in September.  Judge Leung Chun-man warned her she would be jailed immediately for 21 days if she breached the injunction again.  Chan said she would try to occupy herself with making new friends and going to church.

Japanese prime minister wins party's leadership fight - Update

Posted on : 2010-09-14 | Author : dpa News Category : Asia

Tokyo - Prime Minister Naoto Kan was re-elected Tuesday as president of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), preventing a third change in premiers in a year.    Kan remains the head of government after winning a party leadership contest against Ichiro Ozawa, the veteran politician known as the "Shadow Shogun" for his history of making backroom deals and for wielding power in the DPJ behind the scenes.  The challenge to Kan, who has been premier for three months, came after the DPJ lost its majority in the upper house of the Diet in July's elections, held weeks after Kan took office as Japan's fifth premier in four years.  With the next parliamentary elections not until 2013, Kan's confirmation as prime minister in the party's vote was an indication to political analysts of political stability in the world's third-largest economy, which has been struggling with a large debt load, deflation, an ageing population and a surging yen, which has hurt Japan's exporters.

Philippine leader vows to restore people's trust in police

Posted on : 2010-09-14 | Author : dpa News Category : Asia

Manila - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday vowed to restore people's trust in the police after a botched hostage rescue left eight Hong Kong tourists dead last month.  Aquino urged the newly installed police chief, Director General Raul Bacalzo, to intensify reforms and instill discipline in the police force  "We will wipe out the fear and doubt of the people in your institution," Aquino said in turnover ceremonies at police headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City in the Manila metropolitan area.  Bacalzo replaced Jesus Verzosa, who retired early, less than a month after the August 23 hostage tragedy at a seaside park in Manila.  The crisis began when dismissed police officer Rolando del Rosario Mendoza seized a tourist bus filled with 25 people, mostly Hong Kong tourists, in a bid to get his job back.  While nine hostages were freed through negotiations, the standoff ended in violence when Mendoza opened fire inside the bus, prompting police to launch an assault.  Eight Hong Kong tourists and Mendoza were killed in the botched rescue.  The incident triggered outrage in the former British colony, where many have denounced the way the Philippine police handled the situation and demanded an apology and compensation for the victims' families.  Aquino admitted the carnage was a major setback to his 2-month-old government, but he promised to forge ahead and lead the country in the fight against corruption and poverty.  "We will remove the scar of doubt of the people, not only in our police forces but also in the government," he said  Aquino added he would ensure that the funds allocated for training and for purchasing equipment for the police would not end up in the pocket of unscrupulous government officials.