Toxic firecracker haze darkens Indian capital after festival of lights
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Air pollution in New Delhi hit 18 times the healthy limit on Friday under a thick, toxic haze after a night of fireworks to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali – despite a court-ordered ban on their sales.
Go-go going as Chinese women fuel Thai tourism boom
BANGKOK (Reuters) – For decades since the Vietnam war, the scantily clad dancers in the go-go bars of Bangkok’s Patpong red-light district have been the face of Thailand’s tourism industry.
Russian warships dock in Philippines as Manila cultivates new ties
MANILA (Reuters) – Three Russian warships, including two anti-submarine vessels, docked in Manila on Friday to unload what navy officials said was weaponry and military vehicles donated to the Philippines as part of a new defense relationship.
Australia’s second largest state edges towards permitting euthanasia
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The parliament of Australia’s second largest state passed legislation on Friday to allow terminally ill patients to seek medical help to end their lives, a bill that is expected to act as a catalyst for the rest of the country to ado…
Amid South Korea freeze, China says cultural exchanges take the temperature
BEIJING (Reuters) – Cultural exchanges between countries need to consider the “temperature” of popular opinion and how people feel about each other, a senior Chinese official said on Friday, amid a freeze in cultural ties with South Korea over an anti-…
Singapore PM Lee says ready to step down in couple of years; no successor picked yet
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was ready to step down in a couple of years time and his successor is likely already in the cabinet but a clear choice has yet to emerge
Typhoon bears down on Japan, will hinder voting in national election
TOKYO (Reuters) – Typhoon Lan with heavy rains and destructive winds is expected to hit southern Japan on Sunday when the nation holds a national election, forcing officials in Okinawa to stage voting a day early on some remote islands.
South Korea survey backs restarting construction of two nuclear reactors
SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean government-organized committee is recommending Seoul resume the stalled construction of two new nuclear reactors after an opinion survey it set up found nearly 60 percent of respondents said they were in favor of the mo…
South Korea to stress safety of Pyeongchang Olympics to diplomats, companies
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s foreign ministry will stress the Pyeongchang Olympics will be safe from North Korean provocations in a briefing to diplomats and executives at foreign companies in the country on Friday, as concerns persist over tensions…
NZ Prime Minister-elect Ardern focuses on final touches in coalition deal, NZ dollar sinks
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Jacinda Ardern said she would spend Friday ironing out issues and ministerial posts with coalition partner New Zealand First, a day after becoming the Pacific nation’s youngest leader in recent ti…
