1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 48 » Dalai Lama to visit White House 'later this month' Last Updated: Feb 5 2010 6:29AM WASHINGTON: The Dalai Lama will be welcomed at the White House later this month despite China's anger at the Tibetan spiritual leader's planned meeting with President Barack Obama, an official said on Thursday. The White House also on Friday tried to play down a fierce row on a number of fronts with China, and said it believed that Beijing would continue to help confront Iran's nuclear challenge despite its reluctance to embrace sanctions. (cont)   Dalai Lama's meeting with Obama likely to inflame tensions between US, China Last Updated: Feb 4 2010 6:50AM WASHINGTON: The Dalai Lama's office has confirmed that he will be visiting Washington on February 17 and 18. The exiled Tibetan leader is expected to meet US President Barack Obama. However, Beijing has warned President Obama that meeting with the Dalai Lama will damage trust and cooperation. But when President Obama visited China last year, he had told Chinese President Hu Jintao that he would meet with the Dalai Lama. (cont)   US takes new step on India nuclear deal Last Updated: Feb 4 2010 6:48AM WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday certified that India has placed safeguards on its nuclear facilities, taking another step toward full implementation of a landmark cooperation deal. In a memorandum, Obama confirmed that India has formally agreed to provide access to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of its civilian nuclear reactors. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former US president George W Bush signed the deal in 2008 which allows New Delhi to enter civilian nuclear energy markets for the first time in decades despite its nuclear weapons arsenal. (cont)   Defying China, Obama to meet Dalai Lama Last Updated: Feb 3 2010 6:36AM WASHINGTON: The White House said on Tuesday that President Barack Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama, firmly rejecting Chinese pressure to snub him as rows escalate between the Pacific powers. Days after defying Beijing with a 6.4 billion-dollar weapons package for Taiwan, the White House also stood firm on US calls for China to address human rights concerns in Tibet. "The president told China leaders during his trip last year that he would meet with the Dalai Lama, and he intends to do so," White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters. (cont)   Thailand braces for fresh political instability Last Updated: Feb 3 2010 6:25AM BANGKOK: Thailand is entering a new phase of political turbulence, bracing for a key court ruling on the frozen fortune of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra amid rumours of another coup. On February 26 the Supreme Court will decide whether the US$2.2 billion fortune of the telecoms tycoon - frozen in the months after he was deposed in 2006 - can be seized by authorities. And that deadline, concerning a man who still deeply divides Thai society, is stepping up the political pressure. (cont)   Obama to travel to Indonesia, Australia in March Last Updated: Feb 2 2010 6:30AM WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will travel with his family to his childhood home of Indonesia and go on to Australia in the second half of March, the White House announced on Monday. "This trip is an important part of the president's continuing effort to broaden and strengthen the partnerships that are necessary to advance our security and prosperity," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. (cont)   Sri Lanka president gets extra year in power Last Updated: Feb 2 2010 6:34AM COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's supreme court on Tuesday ruled President Mahinda Rajapaksa can begin his new term in November, giving him an extra year in power after he called polls two years before his first term was to expire. Rajapaksa last week won a new six-year term in a landslide victory, correctly gambling that his popularity after leading Sri Lanka to victory in a 25-year war with the Tamil Tiger separatists in May would carry him. (cont)   Sri Lankan police raid opposition office as rigging charges mount Last Updated: Jan 29 2010 6:37AM COLOMBO - Police raided Friday the office of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka as monitors and rights groups criticised the Sri Lankan election that returned President Mahinda Rajapakse to power. The Cinnamon Gardens quarter of Colombo, where Fonseka's office is located, was cordoned off as dozens of commandos from the elite police Special Task Force searched the premises, a witness said. (cont)   Suu Kyi rejects Myanmar minister's comment on her release Last Updated: Jan 29 2010 6:34AM YANGON: Myanmar's detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday described as "unfair" a minister's comment that she would be released in November as it pre-empted a court decision, her lawyer said. Home Affairs Minister Maung Oo reportedly told a meeting of local officials in central Myanmar last week that the release of the 64-year-old, who has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years, would come in November. Suu Kyi "said the home affairs minister's comment was totally unfair," her lawyer, Nyan Win, told AFP after meeting her on Thursday. (cont)   Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate in hiding Last Updated: Jan 28 2010 6:35AM COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate who failed in a bid to unseat incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse was in hiding Thursday in Colombo after warning of possible attempts on his life. Former four-star general Sarath Fonseka was resoundingly defeated in the country's first post-war election and was then stripped of his 80-strong state security team, which he said he needed to keep him safe. (cont)   Sri Lankan president wins re-election Last Updated: Jan 27 2010 6:43AM COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse won a bruising re-election battle on Wednesday but the result was rejected by his opponent, who was holed up in a hotel surrounded by heavily-armed troops. The elections commissioner said Rajapakse had secured 57.9 percent of the popular vote in Tuesday's presidential poll - the first since a victory over separatist Tamil rebels last May ended a decades-long civil war. "This is a victory for the people," Rajapakse said. "I thank those who voted for me and those who did not. I will work for all of them." (cont)   Sri Lanka votes in tense post-war election Last Updated: Jan 26 2010 6:34AM COLOMBO : Sri Lankans voted under tight security in their first post-war presidential poll Tuesday, which opened with a series of pre-dawn bomb attacks after a tense and bitter campaign. The blasts in the northern Tamil heartland of Jaffna were a violent start to the contest between President Mahinda Rajapakse and his former army chief Sarath Fonseka that threatens new instability in the island nation. A spokesman for the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence said two of the bombs were thrown at the home of an organiser for Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party. (cont)   Clinton calls for Chinese probe into Google cyberattacks Last Updated: Jan 22 2010 7:20AM WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged China on Thursday to investigate cyberattacks on Google and other US companies and called on US technology firms not to support Internet censorship. Clinton, without specifically mentioning China, also said in a speech at the Newseum here that countries and individuals who engage in cyberattacks should be punished. China, meanwhile, sought to play down the row with the United States over Internet freedom, insisting on Thursday that Google's threat to quit the country over censorship and cyberattacks should not be linked to Sino-US ties. (cont)   China says Google case not linked to Sino-US ties Last Updated: Jan 21 2010 6:50AM BEIJING : China on Thursday insisted Google's threat to quit the country over censorship and cyber attacks should not be linked to Sino-US ties, seeking to play down a simmering row over Internet freedom. The statement from Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was preparing to give a major Internet policy speech in Washington. (cont)   US demands China explain cyberattacks in face-to-face talks Last Updated: Jan 15 2010 6:56AM WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday said it held talks with Chinese officials, calling for an explanation of cyberattacks against Internet giant Google and dozens of other firms. "We have had a discussion today here in Washington with officials from the embassy. We raised the issue," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, "we've asked them for an explanation." (cont)   Thai police charge plane crew over weapons haul Last Updated: Jan 15 2010 6:47AM BANGKOK: Thai police said on Thursday they brought charges against five alleged arms traffickers over a sanctions-busting planeload of weapons seized last month en route from North Korea. The Belarussian pilot and four Kazakh crew were charged with possessing illegal weapons and ammunition, smuggling weapons and other banned products and for failing to report their cache, Police Colonel Supisarn Pakdinaruenart told reporters. (cont)   US 'troubled' by China cyberattacks Last Updated: Jan 14 2010 7:07AM A senior US official has said the country is "troubled" by recent cyberattacks, originating from China, that targeted human rights activists. Internet giant Google has said it may end its operations in China following a spate of attacks on e-mail accounts. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said China must ensure a "secure" commercial environment for Google and other firms. However, a Google spokesman said that it was still filtering its search results for China. (cont)   Sri Lankan President makes overtures to Tamils Last Updated: Jan 12 2010 6:50AM The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has offered concessions to the Tamil community, ahead of elections later this month. Tamils account for 12.5 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million population and could play a decisive role in the vote. Mr Rajapakse says he's proposing power-sharing arrangements to give them a greater say in the legislature and address long-standing demands for devolution of power. (cont)   New Zealand and Fiji agree to improve relations Last Updated: Jan 12 2010 6:46AM WELLINGTON: The government of New Zealand and Fiji's military regime have agreed to improve relations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Tuesday. The decision follows talks between McCully and his Fijian counterpart Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in Fiji's tourist centre Nadi on Friday and Saturday last week. "A number of issues of bilateral interest to both countries were discussed in a positive and constructive atmosphere," McCully said in a statement. (Cont)   Malaysia defends stance as ninth church attacked Last Updated: Jan 11 2010 6:50AM KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Monday defended its refusal to allow non-Muslims to use the word "Allah", as a dispute over the issue saw a ninth church attacked in a spate of fire-bombings and vandalism. The Sidang Injil Borneo Church in the central state of Negri Sembilan was the latest to be targeted amid anger over a court ruling that overturned a government ban on non-Muslims using "Allah" as a translation for "God". Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam, who briefed foreign diplomats on the church attacks which appeared last Friday, said they had asked why the term was off-limits when it is widely used by Christians in Indonesia and the Middle East. (cont)   Philippine government says private armies threatened vote Last Updated: Jan 8 2010 6:34AM MANILA: Philippine authorities on mercenaries on Thursday warned more than 100 private armies controlled by local politicians could cause violence ahead of this year's national elections, as two more candidates were reported killed. National police chief Jesus Verzosa said a joint study by his office, the military and the Commission on Elections confirmed there were at least 68 "private armed groups" prowling the Southeast Asian archipelago. (cont)   New Zealand, Australia to probe whaling protest collision Last Updated: Jan 7 2010 6:46AM WELLINGTON: New Zealand and Australia said Thursday they would investigate a Japanese whaling ship's alleged ramming of a protest boat in Antarctic waters, as activists claimed only luck prevented someone being killed. The two countries, opponents of Japan's whaling programme, also urged protesters from the militant Sea Shepherd anti-whaling organisation and the whalers to stop risking human lives in the isolated Southern Ocean. (cont)   Taiwan Official: No Political Talks With China Yet Last Updated: Dec 30 2009 7:00AM A senior Taiwanese official says the time is not ripe for the island to hold political talks with rival China because the two sides lack enough mutual trust. Wednesday's statement by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chao Chien-min comes amid steadily improving ties between Taipei and Beijing.   Chinese Execution Threatens Sino-British Chill Last Updated: Dec 29 2009 7:25AM Britain called in China's ambassador on Tuesday to vent its fury at the "unacceptable" execution of a mentally-ill Briton, as the affair triggered a sharp chill between London and Beijing, and an EU protest. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "appalled and disappointed" that China ignored repeated appeals to show mercy to Akmal Shaikh, who was said to have suffered from a mental illness, while his legal team expressed outrage.   India, Japan Look To Ease Visa Rules To Boost Trade Last Updated: Dec 29 2009 7:04AM India and Japan agreed on Tuesday to ease visa rules within a year to boost trade between two of Asia's biggest economies that are also trying to broaden cooperation in defence and nuclear energy. Japan is among India's biggest aid donors and bilateral trade has only begun picking up in recent years with Tokyo easing sanctions it imposed after India tested a nuclear device in 1998.   Local politician murdered in Philippine ambush Last Updated: Dec 28 2009 6:24AM A local Philipppine politician was killed on Monday when hooded gunmen opened fire on a convoy carrying about 50 people in another explosion of election-linked violence, police said.  The ambush in the northern province of Ilocos Norte came barely a month after a massacre of 57 people in the south highlighted a brutal culture of political violence that has long existed in the Southeast Asian nation.   Protesters Burn Flag As Taiwan And China Sign Deals Last Updated: Dec 23 2009 7:14AM AFP TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- Top envoys from Taiwan and China signed joint agreements on Tuesday as they met behind rings of barbed wire shielding them from anti-Beijing protesters who set ablaze a Chinese flag.  The talks between Chen Yunlin, the mainland's top Taiwan negotiator, and Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Pin-kung, have triggered demonstrations on the island by people angry at closer ties with their giant neighbour.  Tuesday's documents -- on food quarantine, industrial standards and fishing crews -- bring to 12 the number of deals inked by the former arch-foes since China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou assumed power in Taiwan in May 2008.  "The trend is irreversible," Chen said during the talks in the central Taiwan city of Taichung. "Over the past year, we've accomplished a lot of work that we hadn't been able to achieve in the previous 10, 20, or even 60 years."  Anti-China protesters had gathered outside the hotel hosting the talks, voicing concern about a planned trade pact they argued would draw Taiwan closer to China, with no obvious benefits in return.   China Dissident Liu Xiaobo Tried For Subversion Last Updated: Dec 23 2009 7:06AM BBC News    Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has gone on trial in Beijing on charges of "inciting subversion of state power".  Mr Liu, a prominent government critic and veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, could be jailed for 15 years if convicted.  He has been in jail since 2008, after being arrested for writing a document calling for political reform in China.  The EU, US and rights groups say the trial is politically motivated and have called on Beijing to release Mr Liu.  China has dismissed criticism of the trial as an "unacceptable" attempt to interfere in its internal affairs.  The trial has now ended for the day, and a verdict is expected in a few days' time.  'Travesty of justice'  The BBC's Michael Bristow, who was outside the court during the proceedings, says it was at first unclear whether Mr Liu's trial had actually begun.  There were also petitioners - ordinary people who come to Beijing to air their grievances - milling around.   Taiwan and China hold talks as protests persist Last Updated: Dec 22 2009 7:29AM TAICHUNG, Taiwan: Top envoys from Taiwan and China began talks Tuesday behind lines of barbed wire shielding them from protesters desperate to stop the island being sucked further into the mainland's orbit.  Chen Yunlin, the head of a quasi-official Chinese agency in charge of Taiwan, kicked off the trade talks in the city of Taichung, in the centre of the island which Beijing claims as its own.  "We hope this meeting will result in complete success," Chen said at the opening of the meeting with his Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Pin-kung.  The meeting is the fourth since Taiwan's China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou assumed power in May last year and embarked on a programme of closer ties with the island's giant neighbour.   China denies aid package, Uighur expulsions linked Last Updated: Dec 22 2009 7:31AM BEIJING – The Chinese government denied Tuesday that $1.2 billion in aid it gave Cambodia was linked to the Southeast Asian nation's deportation of 20 Muslims who had sought asylum after fleeing ethnic violence in China's far west.  A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the aid package to Cambodia has "no strings attached."  China has accused the Uighurs of being involved in ethnic rioting in July that pitted the minority group against the majority Han Chinese. Cambodia deported the Uighurs on Saturday night despite protests from the United States and the United Nations, whose refugee agency stationed people at the Phnom Penh airport in an attempt to physically stop the group's expulsion.  In statements to the U.N. refugee agency, the Uighurs said they witnessed and documented the rioting _ China's worst ethnic violence in decades _ and that they feared lengthy imprisonment or even the death penalty if they were returned to China.    Pakistani courts set for showdown with government Last Updated: Dec 21 2009 1:35PM ISLAMABAD: Pakistani prosecutors were reviving graft cases on Monday against Interior Minister Rehman Malik and hundreds of officials, setting the stage for a showdown with a shaky government.  President Asif Ali Zardari, four cabinet ministers and 8,000 bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen and others may face legal action after the Supreme Court annulled a two-year amnesty protecting them from charges.  The move has sparked calls for Zardari to resign, rocking the US-backed civilian government at a time of rising extremist attacks and mounting pressure from Washington to crack down on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.  The ruling party is determined to ride out what could be the worst challenge to Zardari's troubled 15 months in power, pledging to fight any charges brought against its leaders and making it clear there will no resignations.    China boosts Cambodia aid after Uighurs deported Last Updated: Dec 21 2009 9:52AM PHNOM PENH: China signed pacts worth one billion dollars in aid to Cambodia on Monday and thanked Phnom Penh for its controversial decision to deport a group of Uighurs seeking refuge back to Chinese soil.  The 20 Muslim Uighurs, who had fled the far western Xinjiang region after unrest erupted there in July, were expelled late Saturday as they were seeking asylum in the Cambodian capital, saying they risked torture in China.  Phnom Penh said the group, which Beijing had labelled as "criminals", was expelled in line with domestic law. But the US and rights groups deplored the move as an apparent breach of an international convention on refugees.  (Cont)   Pakistan defence minister says barred from leaving country Last Updated: Dec 18 2009 6:51AM ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's defence minister said he has been barred from leaving the country, the first fallout from a supreme court decision to strike down an amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and senior politicians from corruption charges. Ahmed Mukhtar told local television late Thursday he had been due to go on an official visit to China but that his name was on an "exit list" restricting travel and that federal investigation authorities said he cannot leave. (cont)   Pakistan annuls amnesty for corrupt politicians Last Updated: Dec 17 2009 6:35AM ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court has struck down an amnesty protecting the president and senior ministers from corruption charges, raising questions about the survival of the US-backed civilian government. While President Asif Ali Zardari is immune from prosecution while in office, Wednesday's ruling heaps pressure on his administration which is a key partner of the United States in the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants. The Supreme Court hearing has churned up details of Zardari's alleged personal fortune, and the president already faces plummeting public approval ratings and fractious relations with the powerful military. (cont)   Tribesmen free Philippines hostages in Mindanao Last Updated: Dec 14 2009 6:53AM Tribesmen have freed more than 40 hostages held for three days in the southern Philippines province of Mindanao, government officials say. The kidnappers, from the Manobo tribe, agreed the release after negotiators said they would not be arrested and could be tried by a tribal court. The men belong to a gang of former government-armed militia. The 47 hostages were among 75 people seized from a school on Thursday. The others had already been released. As part of the deal, the kidnappers' leader also asked the authorities to disarm rivals with whom he had been feuding.   Decision to create new Indian state sparks protest Last Updated: Dec 11 2009 6:40AM NEW DELHI – Protesters took to the streets Friday, setting public buses on fire and clashing with police, in anger over India's decision to carve a new state out of the southern region of Andhra Pradesh. The conflict highlighted the tensions that underlie the vast array of ethnic and linguistic groups bound together in the massive Indian nation. The country has allayed some of that friction by giving substantial power to its 28 states and creating new states to empower still more ethnic minorities. (cont)   Philippine tribal gunmen warn of killing hostages Last Updated: Dec 11 2009 6:33AM PROSPERIDAD, Philippines: Tribal gunmen in the southern Philippines warned Friday they would massacre dozens of hostages if police made a rescue bid, as hundreds of security forces surrounded their mountain lair. The two-day hostage drama was the latest unrest to hit the Philippines' volatile Mindanao region, after a political massacre last month shocked the nation and triggered martial law in one province. "I will kill the hostages if police attempt to rescue them," the gunmen's leader Ondo Perez told an AFP reporter who accompanied a government negotiator to the remote site. (cont)   Thousands stage new rally for Thailand's Thaksin Last Updated: Dec 10 2009 6:54AM BANGKOK - Thousands of red-shirted supporters of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra flooded back into the streets of Bangkok Thursday in an attempt to step up pressure on the embattled government. Police said around 8,000 demonstrators gathered for the latest in a series of rallies against current premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who took office a year ago after protests by rival "Yellow Shirts" drove Thaksin's allies from power. The demonstration at Democracy Monument in downtown Bangkok was being held to mark Constitution Day, a public holiday which marks the formation of Thailand's first constitution in 1932, organisers said. (cont)   Sri Lanka to release majority of detained Tamil Tigers Last Updated: Dec 9 2009 6:47AM Sri Lanka's government says most of the people associated with the Tamil Tiger rebels now held in detention will be released. The Secretary of the Ministry for Disaster Management and Human Rights, Rajiva Wijesinha says of the 11,000 Tigers, only 200 are being charged. He says the rest are in rehabilitation for eventual return to society. "The vast majority we believe, even if they were involved in actual combat, were more people who were conscripted and forced to do so," he said. (cont)   Popularity soars for Taiwan's opposition leader Last Updated: Dec 7 2009 6:53AM TAIPEI: The head of Taiwan's anti-China opposition has seen her popularity rise to a new high after her party gained ground in local elections at the weekend, a survey said Monday. Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and a possible presidential candidate in 2012, is backed by 43 per cent of people on the island, up from 27 per cent in May, the United Daily News reported. The paper said its survey of 1,066 voters was carried out Sunday, the day after the DPP won control of an extra county in local elections. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) lost two counties. (cont)   General strike in Nepal over Maoists' deaths Last Updated: Dec 7 2009 6:45AM KATHMANDU: Nepal's opposition Maoists on Sunday called a nationwide general strike to protest against the deaths of party activists in a clash with police, further raising tensions in the Himalayan nation. Demonstrators burned tyres on the streets of the capital Kathmandu and set fire to cars and motorbikes, while shops and offices remained shut on Sunday – usually a working day in Nepal. (cont)   Taiwan's polls first crucial test for President Ma Last Updated: Dec 4 2009 6:55AM TAIPEI: Voters in 17 of Taiwan's 23 cities and counties will go to the polls on Saturday to elect local government chiefs and members of representative bodies. The polls are seen as the first crucial test for President Ma Ying-jeou's leadership since he took office in 2008. On the eve of Taiwan's county magistrate and city mayoral elections, the two main political parties were going all out to appeal to voters. (cont)   Philippine troops surround clan suspected of massacre Last Updated: Dec 3 2009 6:32AM GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines: The Philippine army on Thursday sent hundreds of extra troops to contain a powerful Muslim clan whose members have been indicted for the political massacre of 57 people last week. The extra battalion of 400 soldiers brings to more than 3,000 the number now guarding the home of the Ampatuan clan and government offices in Maguindanao province, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said. "Our forces are now stationed in the area. They are restricting their movement within the compound (home)," Brawner told AFP. "We have added one more infantry battalion." (cont)   Philippines to replace over 1,000 police after massacre Last Updated: Dec 2 2009 6:32AM MANILA: All 1,092 police officers in a Philippine province will be replaced amid an investigation into an alleged role played by some of them in an election-linked massacre, the government said on Wednesday. Fifty-seven people, including journalists and supporters of a local politician, were shot dead in the November 23 murders in the southern province of Maguindanao. Local politician Andal Ampatuan Jnr has been charged with 25 counts of murder, and authorities said they suspected members of the police force and military, who were loyal to his powerful family, may have also been involved. (cont)   Chinese President Hu lauds EU ties after summit Last Updated: Dec 1 2009 6:52AM BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao met European Union leaders Tuesday with both sides hailing the state of bilateral ties a day after a sometimes testy summit. Hu congratulated Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt - who holds the rotating EU presidency - and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on the summit and thanked them for their contribution in "advancing" relations. The two European leaders met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the eastern city of Nanjing on Monday for a summit during which the EU called for Chinese leadership on climate change and urged it to loosen its currency policy. (cont)   Philippines charges political clan heir with 25 murders Last Updated: Dec 1 2009 6:47AM GENERAL SANTOS: Philippine prosecutors on Tuesday filed 25 counts of murder against a clan leader's son whom they say led the election-related massacre of 57 people last week, officials said. The charges against Andal Ampatuan Jnr were filed in a court in the southern city of Cotabato, which has jurisdiction over the site of the November 23 massacre, said prosecutor Edilberto Jamora. Other members of the influential Ampatuan clan, including the family patriarch, provincial governor Andal Ampatuan Snr, were also summoned to submit affidavits in the investigation into the massacre in Maguindanao province. (cont)   US offers Pakistan expanded strategic partnership Last Updated: Nov 30 2009 7:25AM WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has offered Pakistan an expanded strategic partnership, including additional military and economic cooperation, The Washington Post reported on Monday. The newspaper said the offer, including an effort to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and India, was contained in a two-page letter delivered to President Asif Ali Zardari this month by Obama's national security adviser James Jones. It was accompanied by assurances from Jones that the United States will increase its military and civilian efforts in Afghanistan and that it plans no early withdrawal, the report said. Obama's speech on Tuesday night at the US Military Academy at West Point will address primarily the Afghanistan aspects of the strategy. (cont)   Allies of political clan linked to Philippine massacre rally Last Updated: Nov 30 2009 7:22AM COTABATO, Philippines (AFP) - – Allies of a political clan linked to the bloody massacre of at least 57 people last week rallied to their defence in the lawless southern Philippines on Sunday. About a dozen mayors and other local officials from three provinces -- all allies of the powerful Ampatuan family -- met with regional governor Zaldy Ampatuan in his mansion while about 900 people, many of them children, rallied outside. Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of a huge Muslim autonomous region, issued a statement vowing justice for the victims of the massacre, but also insisting on the innocence of his family. He charged that they were being politically persecuted and that the government in Manila was preventing even more of his political allies from reaching him. (cont)   Obama rolls out red carpet for "indispensable" India Last Updated: Nov 25 2009 6:33AM WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday hailed India as an "indispensable" partner as he pledged to work on a range of once thorny issues with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a high-profile state visit. Obama rolled out the red carpet for Singh for the first full-fledged state visit of his White House, to climax in a swank black-tie dinner set to be one of Washington's most elite social occasions since his January 20 inauguration. Obama, who had caused unease in India with his early focus on neighbours China and Pakistan, assured that the world's largest democracy was a true partner on his top priorities from counter-terrorism to climate change. (cont)   Philippine leader vows justice as massacre toll hits 57 Last Updated: Nov 25 2009 6:30AM COTABATO, Philippines - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo Wednesday vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of a political massacre that left 57 people dead, as one of her allies was named the prime suspect. Arroyo faced increasing pressure to take decisive action as more bodies were pulled out of shallow graves and relatives of the victims reported horrifying details of the killings, including that two women shot dead were pregnant. "This is a supreme act of inhumanity that is a blight on our nation," Arroyo said in a statement as she declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. (cont)   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 48 »