Taiwan President Vows To Improve Economy, China Ties Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:30AM Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on Friday urged confidence in the economy and pledged to promote peace with China as the island marked its first national day under his new government. "We are facing an unprecedented global financial crisis and the government will actively handle the situation while promoting cross-strait peace and international friendship," Ma said in his national day speech. "Improving the economy is the government's top priority and we will push for economic reforms amid the current challenges.... We will conquer the obstacles and head to prosperity if we have firm confidence," he said. Taiwan's central bank on Thursday cut its key interest rates by 25 basis points while the cabinet has assured a full guarantee for money saved in local banks.   US Close To Taking N Korea Off Terror List, Say Reports Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:23AM The United States is close to removing North Korea from its terrorism blacklist in the hope of saving a crumbling nuclear disarmament deal, according to reports Friday. Pyongyang, meanwhile, ramped up the pressure by barring UN inspectors from its nuclear complex and warning Seoul of possible naval clashes along their disputed sea border. The reports said Washington, which sent its chief negotiator Christopher Hill to Pyongyang last week, is nearing agreement with the hardline communist state on inspection procedures for its nuclear plants. The United States insists it must have agreement on verification before it can delist North Korea - which is preparing to restart its Yongbyon nuclear complex in protest at the delay.   Maldives Run-Off Vote Set For October 29 Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:20AM The Maldives' first-ever democratic presidential election will be decided in a run-off on October 29, after the first round failed to deliver a clear winner, officials said. The run-off date is well outside the 10-day limit laid down by the Indian Ocean archipelago's election law. The head-to-head vote will pit Asia's longest serving leader, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, against his most outspoken critic and former political prisoner Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed. During Wednesday's first round, Gayoom polled 40.63 percent of the vote, while Nasheed secured 25.09 percent.   Suicide Attack On Pakistani Tribal Council Kills 30 Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:18AM PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber drove his car into an anti-Taliban tribal council meeting in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 30 people, officials said, the second suicide bombing in as many days. Nearly 100 people were wounded in the attack in Orakzai region which comes a day after a suicide blast inside the heavily guarded police headquarters in the Pakistani capital in which 8 policemen were wounded. The bomber blew himself up when around 500 members of Alizai tribe were gathered to draw up a strategy as part of government-backed efforts to drive out militants from tribal areas regarded as safe havens for al Qaeda fighters and their Taliban allies.   Suspected US Missile Strike Kills Nine In Pakistan Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:15AM A suspected US missile strike on a house in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan killed nine people including six Arab militants on Thursday, security officials said. Two missiles hit the building in Tapi, a village in troubled North Waziristan district, an official based in the region told AFP on condition of anonymity. The attack targeted the house of a local Taliban commander named Hafiz Sahar Gul, another security official based in Islamabad said. "The missile attack killed three of Gul's family members and six Arab guests," the official said, adding the Arabs were believed to be militants. There was no immediate confirmation from the Pakistani military or from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.   Relentless Fighting Kills 41 In Sri Lanka - Military Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:13AM COLOMBO (Reuters) - At least 40 people were killed for a second straight day in the Sri Lankan military's push into rebel Tamil Tiger territory, the military said on Friday, a day after a failed suicide attack targeting a minister. Air force jets also kept up relentless strikes on Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) targets, part of a concentrated seek-and-destroy strategy to gradually regain rebel-held ground while wiping out as many guerrillas as possible. The battle is now concentrated around Kilinochchi, the Tigers' headquarter town 330 km (205 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. It is a strategic and symbolic prize for President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government.   Australian FM Says Fiji High Court Ruling Doesn't Change Situation Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:11AM Australia's foreign minister, Stephen Smith, says Fiji's interim leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, appears determined to avoid a return to democratic rule. Fiji's High Court has dismissed attempts by ousted prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, to have the 2006 coup ruled illegal. Mr Smith says despite understanding that the former PM may appeal the ruling, it doesn't change the fact that Fiji's interim prime minister is backing away from promises he made.   Indonesian Stock Market To Reopen After Two Day Suspension Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:08AM Indonesia's stock market is due to reopen, two days after being suspended due to a sharp decline of the index over fears of a global financial crisis. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said the government will take measures to protect the domestic economic condition when the market is reopened on Friday morning. She said the government will take legal action against anybody suspected of committing economic irregularities deemed as criminal acts in the last three months. Sri Mulyani said she has consulted the national police chief and attorney general about some people who spread rumors that created unfavorable sentiment in the market.   Former Thai Negotiator Says Only Coup Can Fix Political Turmoil Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:05AM Thailand's former deputy premier and chief negotiator with anti-government protesters said a coup is the only way to resolve political turmoil, local media reported Friday. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh resigned from his government roles on Tuesday after police and protesters clashed in front of parliament in Bangkok, leaving two dead and 478 injured. The clashes were the most violent confrontations since demonstrators launched a campaign in May to topple the ruling party. Chavalit, who was also prime minister from 1996 to 1997, told the Bangkok Post newspaper that the Thai military needed to launch a putsch because "there is no other way out" of the strife. "After the military steps in, power should be immediately returned to the people and an interim government can be formed in which every party takes part," Chavalit said.   Thai Protest Leaders Released On Bail, Vow New Rallies Last Updated: Oct 10 2008 8:02AM Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes. Seven People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders on Friday turned themselves in on arrest warrants for illegal assembly and inciting unrest and were released after about two hours of questioning. "The police have granted bail to all protest leaders unconditionally," said Sondhi Limthongkul, one of the bailed leaders, before heading to a protest camp at the prime minister's offices, which the PAD have occupied since late August.   US Pacific Commander Calls On Japan To Do More Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:28AM The top US military commander in the Pacific has called on Japan to contribute more to the fight against terrorism than the refueling of US-led coalition vessels in the Indian Ocean. Admiral Timothy Keating was speaking to reporters at the US Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday. The admiral said he sincerely hopes Japan will continue its mission to refuel US-led coalition vessels engaged in anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan.   Dalai Lama Hospitalized With Abdominal Pains Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:25AM The Dalai Lama has been hospitalized due to abdominal pain and could undergo surgery on Friday, a senior doctor told AFP, but his spokesman insisted that he was only undergoing "routine tests." The spiritual leader was admitted to a state-run New Delhi hospital on Thursday following media reports that abdominal pains for which he had spent four days in a Mumbai hospital in August had recurred. A senior doctor at New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, who did not wish to be identified, told AFP that the Dalai Lama, a former Nobel peace Prize winner, had been hospitalized.   [Korea] IAEA 'Barred From Yongbyon Plant' Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:23AM The UN's nuclear watchdog says North Korea has banned its inspectors from entering the Yongbyon nuclear complex. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it could no longer monitor the reprocessing plant. The US State Department said the move was not positive or helpful, and urged Pyongyang to reverse its decision. Last month, Pyongyang announced it would reactivate Yongbyon because it said the US had not fulfilled its part of an international disarmament deal. In a statement, the IAEA said it had been informed by North Korea that "effective immediately, access to facilities at Yongbyon would no longer be permitted".   S Korea Proposes Us$1b Fund For Co-Operation With N Korea Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:21AM South Korea's government on Thursday proposed a one-billion-dollar fund to support inter-Korean economic projects and provide aid to the North next year despite frosty ties, officials said. The Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund for 2009 was set at 1.508 trillion won (1.092 billion dollars), up 8.6 per cent from the fund for 2008, the unification ministry said. South Korea has spent just 9.2 per cent of this year's fund so far, the ministry said. The communist North cut most official ties in protest at the new Seoul government's firmer line on cross-border relations after it took office in February.   Bush Signs US-India Nuclear Deal Law Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:19AM US President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed legislation to enact a landmark US-India civilian nuclear agreement, celebrating "the growing ties between the world's two largest democracies." "This agreement sends a signal to the world: Nations that follow the path to democracy and responsible behavior will find a friend in the United States of America," Bush said at a lavish White House signing ceremony. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Washington on Friday so that he and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can formally sign the accord itself, the US State Department announced. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed the deal in July 2005, touching off a difficult battle with wary lawmakers on either side and critics who warn it undermines global efforts to curb the spread of nuclear know-how.   Historic Maldives Vote Heads To Second Round Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:16AM MALE (Reuters) - Asia's longest-serving ruler got the most votes in the Maldives' first multiparty presidential poll, but the tally on Thursday showed him headed for a runoff with an opponent he jailed frequently during 30 years in power. Even before the provisional final count was announced, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's two nearest rivals said they had formed a coalition to defeat him in a second-round vote due within 10 days. Gayoom, 71, had 40.6 percent of all votes, which represented 85.5 percent turnout of the 208,252 registered voters, Election Commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim said. In second place with 25.1 percent was Mohamed Nasheed, a former journalist and pro-democracy activist whom Gayoom's government jailed multiple times on what rights groups said were trumped-up charges.   Bomb In Pakistani Capital, Warplanes Hit Militants Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:14AM ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber attacked police headquarters in Islamabad, warplanes killed 20 Islamist fighters in the northwest, and children died in a roadside blast on Thursday as Pakistan's war with militants intensified. President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto who herself was killed in a suicide attack, said the government was not scared of militants and it was determined to rid society of terrorism. Officials reported at least eight wounded but no fatalities in the attack on the police complex housing an anti-terrorist squad on the outskirts of the capital.   Sri Lanka Boosts Election, War Budget For '09 Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:11AM COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's proposed 2009 budget on Thursday showed the government planning to spend 18 percent of it on a war with separatist rebels, and nearly tripling its elections expenditure. The overall budget of 980.6 billion Sri Lanka rupees ($9.09 billion) rose 6 percent year-on-year, and proposed a 20 percent increase in government borrowing some analysts and ratings agencies have criticized as unsustainably high. The bill submitted to parliament on Thursday showed defense spending rising by 6.4 percent to 177.06 billion rupees. The appropriation bill also showed the government had nearly tripled funds for the Elections Department to 1.1 billion rupees, compared to this year's 284.5 million rupees -- which financed three provincial polls and one local election.   [Cambodia] First Trial Of Khmer Rouge Leader Delayed To Next Year Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:09AM Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal said Thursday that the long-awaited first trial of Khmer Rouge cadres would be delayed until next year because of legal hold-ups. Five senior Khmer Rouge leaders, mostly in their 70s and 80s, remain in detention awaiting trial for their alleged roles in the 1975-79 atrocities. In August, the court formally indicted former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav - better known as Duch - making him the first leader to stand trial. Court officials had hoped that the hearing would start this month, but prosecutors appealed Duch's indictment, saying it failed to go far enough and portray a "full and truthful account" of his crimes.   Indonesia Keeps Stock Exchange Closed Last Updated: Oct 9 2008 8:07AM Indonesia closed its stock exchange for the second day to halt a flurry of selling that sent the main stock index plummeting more than 20 percent this week, while Asian trading ended mixed. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins has more from Jakarta. Trading on the Jakarta Stock Exchange was canceled for a second straight day and officials say it may stay closed for the remainder of the week. Stock exchange president Erry Firmansyah said it will remain closed to give investors a chance to "calm down before they make decisions." Indonesia's benchmark composite index has dropped more than 20 percent this week, driven by the financial turmoil in the United States.