Asia News Headlines

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An international rights group says the number of Afghan women and girls jailed for "moral crimes" has risen dramatically in the past 18 months.

BEIJING (AP) — Gunmen wearing North Korean military uniforms released a Chinese fishing boat Tuesday after holding its crew for two weeks, beating up the captain and stealing the vessel's fuel, the boat's owner said. He added that the hijackers did not get the 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom they had demanded.

LONDON (AP) — Markets were fairly choppy Tuesday as investors were reluctant to push stock indexes up further ahead of a much-anticipated statement from U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.

BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil retreated toward $96 per barrel Tuesday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy.

BEIJING (AP) — China's new leader Xi Jinping will confer with President Barack Obama next month in California, months earlier than expected, as both sides seek to stem a drift in relations, troubled by issues from cyberspying to North Korea.

BANGKOK (AP) — World stock markets were mixed Tuesday as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to telegraph what it plans to do next with its economic stimulus program.

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar (AP) — A Myanmar court sentenced seven Muslims to prison — one of them to a life term — in the killing of a Buddhist monk amid deadly sectarian violence that was overwhelmingly directed against minority Muslims but has produced no serious charges against the members of the country's Buddhist majority …

NEW DELHI (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Indian business leaders Tuesday that developing stronger economic ties between their two nations would have huge benefits for both sides.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese boat and 16 fishermen seized for ransom by armed North Koreans more than two weeks ago were released Tuesday, easing the latest irritant in relations between the neighboring allies.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful roadside bomb killed six policemen in western Afghanistan on Tuesday when their vehicle hit the explosives buried in the road, an Afghan official said.

BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil rose toward $97 per barrel Tuesday, but gains were checked as investors waited for the Federal Reserve's latest views on the U.S. economy.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets fell Tuesday as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to telegraph what it plans to do next with its economic stimulus program.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets struggled to post gains Tuesday as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to telegraph what it plans to do next with its economic stimulus program.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber dressed in a police uniform killed 14 people including a prominent provincial council chief outside the council headquarters in northern Afghanistan on Monday, authorities said. The Taliban insurgency quickly claimed responsibility.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's presumptive prime minister called for peace talks with Taliban militants at war with the government Monday, potentially charting a course that could put him at odds with the country's powerful army.

LONDON (AP) — The price of silver was the standout mover in financial markets Monday as it took a hammering for the second trading session in a row, even as stocks remained relatively solid amid hopes over the U.S. economy.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea continued firing short-range weapons over its own eastern waters Monday after a weekend of what it called "rocket launching tests" intended to bolster deterrence against enemy attack. South Korean officials were investigating exactly what it was that the North was testing.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has taken a number of steps to prevent fertilizers made within its borders for agriculture from being used as explosives in roadside bombs that target American troops in Afghanistan, said a top U.S. military officer Monday.

NEW DELHI (AP) — The leaders of India and China played down their recent border dispute and other tensions Monday, pledging to work together for regional stability and the economic growth of the world's two most populous nations.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A top American military officer says Pakistan has taken steps to prevent fertilizers made in Pakistan from being used for roadside bombs targeting American troops in Afghanistan.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired short-range projectiles into its own eastern waters Monday for a third straight day, Seoul officials said. The North said it was bolstering deterrence against enemy attack.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A judge granted bail to Pakistan's former military ruler on Monday in a case related to the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, his lawyer said.

BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil fell Monday ahead of the release later this week of economic data from the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies, and a speech by the Federal Reserve chief.