The Taliban have built on its pledge not to attack other countries as part of any settlement with the United States. According to former Afghanistan Prime Minister Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, the leadership council is now offering to negotiate without delay if Washington shows it is prepared to set a timetable for a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. - Gareth Porter (Jul 29, ‘11)
Asian equities showed a general decline over the past week, with only Singapore and Jakarta avoiding negative territory, although Hong Kong was not far off joining them as it showed more strength than fellow Greater China market Shanghai. R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week’s markets
Nearly all the North Korean landlords who fled south during the Korean War are now dead, but the belief is very much alive that the title documents they took with them could make their descendants very rich. This makes it certain that the issue of land rights will be politically explosive and a legal minefield in the event of reunification. - Andrei Lankov (Jul 29, ‘11)
Firefox-maker Mozilla’s decision to develop an open-source operating system for mobile phones and tablets could shake up the market where Microsoft, Google and Apple keep a pretty tight grip on their systems and related applications. Google is also being challenged by Facebook’s more open approach to letting enterprises sign up to its network. Martin J Young surveys the week’s developments in computing, science, gaming and gizmos.
A powerful storm bringing a mix of heavy rain, hail and tornadoes through the St. Louis area caused damage to homes in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. The National Weather Service reported the roof was blown off the main terminal at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
Several villages located in a zone of heavy fighting in Kachin state have been ordered by Burmese army commanders to relocate as thousands of people continue to be displaced by conflict in …
With false inventory list that stated goods of description were the rolls of tissue paper, shipping containers in which automobiles and other valued items illegally imported by businesspersons were …
Chiang Mai- Burma's Ministry of Energy has invited companies to bid for exploratory rights for oil and natural gas on 18 inland blocks in Central …
Amid much fanfare the new Burma education minister announced in April this year that all compulsory primary education would be free in the academic year 2011 to …
The "Arrangement on Transfer and Resettlement" was signed in Kuala Lumpur on July 25 by Malaysia’s Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Australia’s Immigration and …