Asia News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Fire burns shacks for Myanmar refugees in Thailand

2012-02-23T13:36:50Z

A fire destroyed about 1,000 bamboo shacks at a camp for Myanmar refugees Thursday across the border in western Thailand.

US, NKorea in first nuclear talks since Kim death

2012-02-23T13:33:20Z

The United States and North Korea resumed talks Thursday delayed by the death of North Korea's longtime leader Kim Jong Il two months ago, with the U.S. envoy saying he and his counterpart covered U.S. food aid and other topics.

Confusion over Indian stand on legality of gay sex

2012-02-23T13:14:36Z

A sensitive debate over gay sex in India was thrown into farcical confusion Thursday after a government lawyer urged the Supreme Court to ban it — only for the government to contradict him hours later in a statement accepting a recent ruling that made it legal.

Indonesian police surround Bali prison hit by riot

2012-02-23T13:06:23Z

Indonesia started moving foreign inmates, women and children out of an overcrowded prison on Bali island Thursday after two days of rioting, officials said, as troops backed by water canons and armored vehicles surrounded the tense facility.

Suu Kyi calls for unity in Myanmar's restive north

2012-02-23T00:58:44Z

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi appealed for unity among Myanmar's disparate ethnic groups Thursday as she hit the campaign trail in the country's conflict-riven far north.

Philippines' Arroyo pleads not guilty to vote fraud

2012-02-23T00:57:24Z

A smiling ex-Philippine president Gloria Arroyo pleaded not guilty Thursday to rigging an election, denouncing the charge that could see her jailed for life as part of a relentless vilification campaign.

Obama sends letter of apology to Afghan president

2012-02-23T12:58:09Z

The Afghan president's office says it has received a letter from President Barack Obama formally apologizing for the burning of Qurans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

Oil stays above $106 despite US crude supply jump

2012-02-23T12:54:17Z

Oil prices rose to nine-month highs above $106 a barrel Thursday, driven by market confidence in Germany and continued concerns about tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

Major fire at Myanmar refugee camp in Thailand

2012-02-23T00:54:40Z

A huge fire swept through a crowded Thai border camp home to thousands of refugees from neighbouring Myanmar on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes, the authorities said.

Indonesia evacuates foreigners, women from Bali jail

2012-02-23T00:39:31Z

Indonesian authorities on Thursday began evacuating foreigners and women from a jail on the resort island of Bali after rioting inmates retook control triggering a tense stand-off.

US, North Korea hold first talks since Kim's death

2012-02-23T00:37:31Z

A senior US diplomat said Thursday he had held "serious and substantive" talks with North Korea's nuclear envoy in Beijing, the first such contact between the two nations since leader Kim Jong-Il died.

Afghan soldier kills NATO troops amid violent protests

2012-02-23T00:37:24Z

An Afghan soldier shot dead two NATO troops on Thursday as violent anti-US protests over the burning of copies of the Koran swept the country for a third day.

Avalanches hit Indian Kashmir; 16 soldiers killed

2012-02-23T12:36:10Z

Two massive avalanches in snowbound regions of Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 16 soldiers, and at least three others were feared trapped in a military camp that was partially buried under snow, an official said Thursday.

Riots over Quran burnings kill 5 in Afghanistan

2012-02-23T12:31:18Z

An Afghan official says two protesters have died in an exchange of gunfire during a riot outside an American base in eastern Afghanistan that also wounded two NATO troops.

Bomb plot shows Thailand's security gaps

2012-02-23T00:01:08Z

A bungled bomb plot by Iranian suspects in Bangkok has highlighted Thailand's vulnerability to terrorist attacks, experts say, even as authorities in the kingdom play down the threat.

Sri Lankan anger over US move at UN rights council

2012-02-23T11:44:43Z

Sri Lanka on Thursday vowed to hold mass protests against US-backed moves at the United Nations to press for an independent probe into alleged war crimes during the island's civil war.

Japanese whalers under new attack by campaigners

2012-02-23T11:42:53Z

Anti-whaling campaigners Sea Shepherd attacked a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic Ocean by firing paint bombs at it and trying to jam its propeller with ropes, Japan's whaling body said Thursday.

Avalanches kill 12 soldiers in Indian Kashmir

2012-02-23T11:36:10Z

At least 12 Indian soldiers on duty in the mountains of Kashmir were killed in avalanches overnight, with several others feared dead, officials said Thursday.

Indian home ministry disowns call for gay sex ban

2012-02-23T11:31:37Z

India's home ministry disowned arguments made before the Supreme Court on Thursday by a top government lawyer that homosexuality was immoral, "against nature" and should be banned.

India debates Tendulkar's one-day future

2012-02-23T11:27:13Z

India's cricket greats have begun talking about a topic that was considered unthinkable a year ago -- Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from the sport.

3 Afghans killed in riots over Quran burnings

2012-02-23T11:27:41Z

Afghan police have shot and killed three protesters in two separate incidents in the north and south of the country where riots broke out during demonstrations over this week's Quran burnings incident.

Pakistan tribesmen protest US drone strikes

2012-02-23T11:25:38Z

Hundreds of armed tribesmen on Thursday rallied against US drone attacks in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, demanding compensation for damage and losses, witnesses said.

Reporter recalls rare trip to Pol Pot's Cambodia

2012-02-23T11:23:28Z

When the Khmer Rouge invited a pair of American journalists to Cambodia in the late 1970s for a rare glimpse of the revolution, they found empty streets and schools in a city with no laughter.

First female basketball coach in Japan eyes NBA

2012-02-23T11:19:41Z

Just 157 centimetres tall, Natalie Nakase has never let her size stand in the way of her big dreams on the basketball court.

China again refuses to commit to Syria meet

2012-02-23T11:02:00Z

China refused again on Thursday to say whether it would attend a global conference aimed at ending the violence in Syria, as a bloody crackdown on protesters intensified.