Asia news stories on Newser

Blind Chinese Activist Chen En Route to US

Sat, 19 May 2012 05:18:52 CDT

The blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington is on his way to the United States. Chen Guangcheng, his wife, and their two children were on United Airlines Flight 88, which took off from the Beijing airport en route...

Asia Snapping Up Our High-Tech Jobs, Too

Kevin Spak — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:47:52 CST

Asia isn't just snapping up low-wage unskilled manufacturing jobs from the US; thanks to rapidly expanding engineering and research capabilities, the continent, and particularly China, have been able to lure away America's high-tech manufacturing jobs, too, according to a new report from the National Science Board. In the last decade...

Record Number of Rhinos Killed in S. Africa

John Johnson — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:21:04 CDT

Two stories of note on the wires about animal conservation: Rhinos: Poachers have killed a record 341 rhinos this year in South Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The horns fetch big money on the black market for use in traditional medicine or as ornamental daggers, reports the BBC...

Putin: Time for 'Eurasian Union'

Matt Cantor — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:11:34 CDT

Russia’s former—and likely next —president wants to join former Soviet countries in a “Eurasian Union.” The entity would be rooted in Russia’s Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan, to allow labor, capital, and trade to flow freely among the countries beginning next year, Reuters notes. But “we are not...

Philippines: Geckos Won't Cure AIDS

Tim Karan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:32:05 CDT

Put down that gecko: The Philippine health department is warning citizens that using geckos to treat AIDS, asthma, and tuberculosis doesn't work and endangers those who don't seek proper treatment. There's no scientific evidence to the folklore behind the practice, and it's caused an increase in illegal trade of the...

Millions in Europe, Asia Face 'Unmapped' Quake Risk

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:26:05 CDT

We’re well aware of longstanding earthquake risks in places like California and Japan. But Europe, the Middle East, and Asia face potentially deadlier threats—and it’s time for scientists to take action, researchers say. So-called “interior zone” earthquakes have killed 1.4 million in the past century, compared to 800,...

Stocks, Dollar Surge on bin Laden Death

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:49:09 CDT

Stocks and the dollar surged in early trading after news hit the world that the US has taken out Osama bin Laden. Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.5% in Tokyo, and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 0.5%, putting it on track for the...

Obama Relives Childhood Memories as Asia Trip Ends

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:14:05 CST

President Obama finished off his 10-day Asia trip on a personal note, visiting the Great Buddha statue in Japan that he last saw as a 6-year-old boy. “It is wonderful to return to this great treasure of Japanese culture,” he wrote in the guest book. "Its beauty has stayed with...

Obama Spins India Trip Into Job Mission

Kevin Spak — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:43:00 CDT

Faced with a barrage of outrage—based on a discredited report—over the cost of his 10-day trip to India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan, Barack Obama has rebranded it as a jobs mission. “The primary purpose is to take a bunch of US companies and open up markets so...