Asia News

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged to give African countries 10 billion dollars in concessional loans as a two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation opened in Egypt on Sunday. Full Story »

COLOMBO (AFP) - A 16-year-old Sri Lankan boy became the first victim in the country of influenza A(H1N1), or swine flu, doctors said Sunday. Full Story »

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - China's premier on Sunday pledged $10 billion in low interest loans to African nations over the next three years and said Beijing would cancel the government debts of some of the poorest of those countries, as the Asian powerhouse looked to deflect criticism that its investments in the continent were motivated purely by greed. Full Story »

TAWANG, India (Reuters) - Thousands of Buddhist monks and supporters welcomed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader on Sunday to a remote Indian region also claimed by China, a trip that has renewed tensions between the Asian giants. Full Story »

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered Africa $10 billion in concessional loans over the next three years on Sunday, saying China was a "true and trusted friend" of the continent and its people. Full Story »

NEW DELHI, India - The Indian government is pushing ahead with economic reforms aimed at achieving a growth rate of more than 7 percent next year but will make sure the benefits reach the poor, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday. Full Story »

TOKYO (AFP) - It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth, using laser beams or microwaves. Full Story »

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Twenty Taliban insurgents have been killed as Pakistan's military tries to consolidate gains in its offensive against the militants in the northwest tribal district, the army said Sunday. Full Story »

GUWAHATI, India (AFP) - Doug Bollinger took 5-35 and Shane Watson hit 49 as Australia thrashed India by six wickets to win the sixth one-day international and the seven-match series 4-2 here on Sunday. Full Story »

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide bomber apparently targeting an anti-Taliban mayor struck a crowded market Sunday in northwestern Pakistan, killing the mayor and 11 other people and wounding dozens, police said. Full Story »

KABUL - An Afghan police official says at least two private security guards have been wounded and two fuel tankers set on fire in eastern Afghanistan when militants attacked a supply convoy for NATO forces. Full Story »

KABUL - Britain's Defense Ministry says a British soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan. Full Story »

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Nothing like a little time apart to rekindle the affections that could lead to a baby panda. Full Story »

TOKYO - Japan's foreign minister said Sunday that no deal on relocating U.S. troops on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa can be expected during President Barack Obama's visit this week, saying the issue needs more time to resolve. Full Story »

TAWANG, India - The Dalai Lama brushed off Chinese protests and traveled Sunday to a remote Himalayan town near the Tibetan border to lead five days of prayers and teaching sessions for Buddhist pilgrims. Full Story »

QUTBAL, Pakistan - The schoolhouse is so tiny that dozens of pupils have to sit outdoors. They're lucky if their teachers have more than a basic education. And the chanting of math equations and Quranic verses gets so loud that the children have a hard time hearing themselves. Full Story »

KABUL - Pushing back against international criticism, Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords. Full Story »

DANANG, Vietnam - On the day his side lost the Vietnam War, Hung Ba Le fled his homeland at the age of 5 in a fishing trawler crammed with 400 refugees. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming — as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer. Full Story »