WASHINGTON: The World Bank on Wednesday warned that severe hardships from global warming could be felt within a generation, with a new study detailing devastating impacts in Africa and Asia.The report presents "an alarming scenario for the days and years ahead -- what we could face in our lifetime," said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim....
DEHRADUN - Military helicopters carried out emergency food drops Wednesday for thousands of people stranded by flash flooding from early monsoon rains which have killed at least 120 in northern India, officials said. The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed torrential rains at least three times as heavy as usual since last week when the annual monsoon broke a fortnight ahead of schedule....
JAKARTA: Indonesia defied popular anger Tuesday by pressing ahead with its first fuel price hike since 2008, a day after police fought running battles with thousands outside parliament.Protesters hurling Molotov cocktails clashed with police firing tear gas and water cannons late Monday, as lawmakers approved measures paving the way for a reduction in crippling fuel subsidies in Southeast Asia's top economy....
SINGAPORE: Air pollution from forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island reached severe levels in Singapore on Monday, triggering a health alert in the densely populated city-state. Skyscrapers including the famous Marina Bay Sands casino towers were shrouded in haze and the acrid smell of burnt wood pervaded the central business district. ...
ATHENS: A looming political crisis in Greece over the shock shutdown of state broadcaster ERT comes to a head on Monday, with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras meeting his coalition allies to see if the government can survive.Samaras, a conservative, has called a meeting for 1630 GMT with the leaders of the smaller socialist and moderate leftist parties in his coalition, who strongly oppose ERT's closure and have demanded its immediate restoration....
KUALA LUMPUR: Rebels from Thailand's restive south Friday said securing lasting peace could take years, acknowledging some insurgents were trying to undermine ongoing talks through continued violence.More than 5,500 people have died in the near decade-long insurgency in the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia....
KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand Thursday expressed impatience at continuing insurgent violence in its Muslim-majority south as delegates began a third round of peace talks in the Malaysian capital with the rebels.Thai National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut told reporters he needed concrete outcomes to violence that has killed more than 5,500 in the past decade "so I can answer to the people"....
SINGAPORE - A former senior Singapore civil servant was jailed for six months Thursday for receiving oral sex from a female executive of a supplier company in return for business favours. Peter Lim, former chief of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), had tarnished the reputation of the city-state's public service by engaging in corrupt behaviour, district judge Hamidah Ibrahim ruled....
BANGKOK: After nearly a decade of conflict that has left thousands dead, Thailand is considering handing over limited powers to its Muslim-majority south in an effort to persuade rebels to lay down their arms.Thai officials will meet with the two main insurgent groups on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur for a third round of talks that have so far failed to end near-daily violence in the region bordering Malaysia....
JAKARTA -- The Saudi Arabian government has slashed the haj quota for Indonesia by 20 per cent or 42,000 pilgrims for this year's haj season in view of the limited space following the ongoing expansion of the Holy Sites, particularly the Grand Mosque in Mecca and Nabawi Mosque in Medina. Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said he had received the official notification letter from the Saudi Arabian government on the matter. ...
