http://www.mail.com/locations/222-asia.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/222-asia.html http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1763424-market-enthusiasm-fed-stimulus-fades.html LONDON (AP) — Upbeat U.S. economic figures failed to restore strength to stock markets Thursday as investors monitored the progress of budget discussions in the U.S. On Wednesday, stocks had gained ground on hopes of another monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve, but once it was delivered investors refrained from any further buying. "As we've seen on... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:23:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1763424-market-enthusiasm-fed-stimulus-fades.html 2012-12-13T14:23:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763922-afghan-suicide-bomber-kills-2-kandahar-attack.html KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber killed two Afghan civilians and wounded 14 others on Thursday near the main U.S. military base in southern Afghanistan, Afghan and American officials said. The attack took place after the visiting U.S. Defense Secretary had left the facility. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763922-afghan-suicide-bomber-kills-2-kandahar-attack.html 2012-12-13T14:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html HONG KONG (AP) — Flight attendants at Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways are threatening to withhold food, alcohol and even smiles from passengers during the Christmas holidays over a pay dispute, a union official said Thursday. Cabin staff at the airline, which has a reputation for top-notch service, voted at a union meeting this week in favor of i... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763092-cathay-crew-threaten-smiles-booze-flights.html 2012-12-13T14:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1763144-nkorea-years-credible-missiles.html SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After 14 years of painstaking labor, North Korea finally has a rocket that can put a satellite in orbit. But that doesn't mean the reclusive country is close to having an intercontinental ballistic missile. Experts say Pyongyang is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard the American mainl... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1763144-nkorea-years-credible-missiles.html 2012-12-13T13:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1763182-report-jackie-chan-suggests-hong-kong-curb-rights.html HONG KONG (AP) — Jackie Chan suggests in a recent interview that protests should be restricted in the freewheeling Chinese city of Hong Kong. The action star lamented that Hong Kong has become a city of protest, where people "scold China, scold the leaders, scold anything, protest against anything." "There should be regulations on what can and cannot be p... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1763182-report-jackie-chan-suggests-hong-kong-curb-rights.html 2012-12-13T13:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has extended refugee status for over a million Afghans in the country by an additional six months, the government announced — a move likely to ease fears of Afghans living there that they would soon have to return home. Pakistan has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees dating back to the Soviet invasion of Afghan... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html 2012-12-13T13:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763936-airasia-orders-100-a320s-airbus.html PARIS (AP) — Airbus says AirAsia, southeast Asia's top budget carrier, is ordering 100 additional A320 single-aisle jets in a deal that greatly increases the Malaysian-based carrier's orders for the European aircraft. In a statement Thursday Airbus says the deal brings the total number of A320 aircraft ordered or already delivered to AirAsia to 475. AirAs... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763936-airasia-orders-100-a320s-airbus.html 2012-12-13T12:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763236-crime-osprey-add-to-okinawan-anger-us-bases.html OKINAWA, Japan (AP) — For nearly 70 years, Okinawa has gotten more than its share of America's military — more jets rattling homes, more crimes rattling nerves. It's the only Japanese island invaded by U.S. land forces during World War II. It endured 27 years under U.S. administration, and it continues to host two-thirds of Japan's U.S. bases. The 1995 ra... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763236-crime-osprey-add-to-okinawan-anger-us-bases.html 2012-12-13T12:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1763428-oil-slips-us-talks-impasse-weak-demand-outlook.html The price of oil fell to near $86 a barrel on Thursday after critical budget negotiations in Washington reached an apparent impasse. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for January delivery was down 60 cents to $86.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract finished 98 cents higher at $86.77 a barrel in New... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1763428-oil-slips-us-talks-impasse-weak-demand-outlook.html 2012-12-13T11:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763388-rights-group-accuses-pakistani-military-abuse.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — Amnesty International accused the Pakistani military on Thursday of carrying out widespread human rights abuses in the country's northwest tribal region where the army is fighting a domestic Taliban insurgency. The military has regularly held people without charges and tortured or otherwise mistreated them in custody, the London-based rig... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763388-rights-group-accuses-pakistani-military-abuse.html 2012-12-13T10:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763562-pakistanis-naming-college-shot-girl.html MINGORA, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani government official says several hundred students have rallied against naming their college after an activist schoolgirl shot by the Taliban, saying the move would be a security risk. The Taliban shot and wounded 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in October in Mingora, the main town in the northwest Swat Valley, because of ... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763562-pakistanis-naming-college-shot-girl.html 2012-12-13T10:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1763378-maya-moore-leaving-mark-chinese-basketball.html Maya Moore has excelled everywhere she's played, winning championships from college to the WNBA and Europe. Now she's leaving her mark on the Chinese women's basketball league. Averaging 45 points a game for the Shanxi Flame, Moore has helped bring new fans to the women's game in a basketball crazed nation. "They show maybe five NBA games a week here," Mo... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1763378-maya-moore-leaving-mark-chinese-basketball.html 2012-12-13T08:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763298-dispute-raises-doubt-china-stocks-us-market.html BEIJING (AP) — A mounting dispute between Washington and Beijing over access to records of Chinese companies with U.S.-traded shares might force major corporate names such as oil giant PetroChina and search engine Baidu to withdraw from American stock exchanges. The dispute highlights the clash between heightened U.S. anti-fraud efforts and official Chine... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1763298-dispute-raises-doubt-china-stocks-us-market.html 2012-12-13T07:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761806-official-syria-fires-scud-missiles-rebels.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Syrian government forces have fired Scud missiles at insurgents in recent days, escalating the 2-year-old conflict against rebels seeking to overthrow the regime, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officials said forces of President Bashar Assad have fired the missiles from the Damascus area in... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761806-official-syria-fires-scud-missiles-rebels.html 2012-12-13T05:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763102-nkorea-policy-seoul-to-soften-despite-rocket.html SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It is not too early to predict one sure winner of South Korea's presidential election next week: North Korea. President Lee Myung-bak's hardline approach to Pyongyang is going away, no matter who replaces him. The question is: Just how soft will Seoul go? Not even Pyongyang's successful launch of a long-range rocket Wednesday has... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:54:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763102-nkorea-policy-seoul-to-soften-despite-rocket.html 2012-12-13T04:54:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760524-us-hesitant-condemning-north-korean-launch.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is drawing no "red line" for North Korea after a successful long-range rocket test, tempering the public condemnation to avoid raising tensions or possibly rewarding the reclusive communist nation with too much time in the global spotlight. The U.S. has told the world that it won't tolerate Iran's acquisition of ... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760524-us-hesitant-condemning-north-korean-launch.html 2012-12-13T01:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761444-un-security-council-condemns-nkorea-rocket-launch.html UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's successful rocket launch on Wednesday and said it will urgently consider "an appropriate response." Whether that response includes new sanctions against the North, which the United States and its European allies are seeking, depends first and foremost on China, the North's closest all... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761444-un-security-council-condemns-nkorea-rocket-launch.html 2012-12-13T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760350-hands-heritage-wary-chinas-reach.html GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN, France (AP) — Life in this French village revolves around wine. The backyards of its tidy houses nurture the grapes that have made Burgundy famous the world over. At an auto repair shop, everyone seems to have an opinion about the recent sale of a local vineyard to a Macau casino magnate. "It's a piece of French heritage that's heading ... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760350-hands-heritage-wary-chinas-reach.html 2012-12-13T00:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1760186-indian-sitar-virtuoso-ravi-shankar-dies-92.html NEW YORK (AP) — The kids at first didn't seem to know how to respond as Ravi Shankar began his four-hour set on the final afternoon of the Monterey Pop Festival, in the fabled summer of 1967. As captured in D.A. Pennebaker's documentary, some nodded along and smiled; Jimi Hendrix listened carefully. Others dozed, or chatted. A few hippies danced wildly, a... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1760186-indian-sitar-virtuoso-ravi-shankar-dies-92.html 2012-12-13T00:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1760484-japan-election-puts-spotlight-reviving-economy.html TOKYO (AP) — It's the $6 trillion question: how to jolt Japan out of its 20-year economic slump. The dozen or so parties vying in a Dec. 16 parliamentary election all agree the world's third-largest economy needs a jump-start, now that it has slid back into recession for the fifth time in 15 years. They are at odds, however, over how t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:31:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1760484-japan-election-puts-spotlight-reviving-economy.html 2012-12-12T23:31:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760786-avon-to-cut-4-pct-jobs-global-restructuring.html NEW YORK (AP) — Avon Products plans to cut about 1,500 jobs and exit two Asian markets, as the struggling beauty products seller starts on a broad restructuring plan in an effort to turn around results. The job cuts amount to almost 4 percent of its workforce and mark one of the first major moves by CEO Sheri McCoy. McCoy was brought on in April to replac... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760786-avon-to-cut-4-pct-jobs-global-restructuring.html 2012-12-12T20:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1760794-report-pakistani-lawmakers-file-taxes.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — The majority of Pakistani lawmakers do not file tax returns despite a legal requirement to do, a report said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns about the low level of tax revenue in the country. Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP rates in the world because payment is not well enforced, and major areas of the economy, such as the agric... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1760794-report-pakistani-lawmakers-file-taxes.html 2012-12-12T19:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760560-panetta-afghanistan-to-meet-with-karzai.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barack Obama will decide shortly how many U.S. troops he wants to keep in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition military mission ends in December 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday as he opened two days of consultations with top U.S. commanders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Panetta offered no cl... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760560-panetta-afghanistan-to-meet-with-karzai.html 2012-12-12T16:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761052-un-2-afghans-risk-this-winter.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — More than 2 million Afghans are at risk from cold, disease and malnutrition this winter as an international appeal for funds to help one of the world's poorest countries has fallen drastically short of its goal, the United Nations and several humanitarian agencies warned on Wednesday. Only 48 percent of $448 million that has been... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761052-un-2-afghans-risk-this-winter.html 2012-12-12T15:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1760798-north-koreas-missile-arsenal.html SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's missile program is a point of national pride, with state TV regularly broadcasting past liftoffs set to rousing military anthems. But Pyongyang provides precious few details about its program's inner workings, leaving outside analysts to squeeze details from satellite photos and comparisons with other countries' missiles. Here's a look... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1760798-north-koreas-missile-arsenal.html 2012-12-12T11:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760536-global-corporate-deals-halved-5-years.html LONDON (AP) — The value of mergers and acquisitions deals around the world in 2012 was nearly half the amount made five years ago, when the financial crisis first bared its teeth, a leading accounting and consulting firm said Wednesday. Despite big deals such as Rosneft's takeover of fellow Russian oil company TNK-BP for a projected $54.5 billion, and Gle... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760536-global-corporate-deals-halved-5-years.html 2012-12-12T10:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1760354-china-revokes-shanghai-catholic-bishops-title.html BEIJING (AP) — In a fresh challenge to Vatican authority, China has revoked the title of a new Catholic bishop in Shanghai who outraged Chinese officials by immediately dropping out of the government agency that oversees the country's officially sanctioned church, religious officials said Wednesday. Ma Daqin, who was jointly named for the post in a rare c... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1760354-china-revokes-shanghai-catholic-bishops-title.html 2012-12-12T09:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760562-nkorea-rocket-gift-to-leaders-warning-to-world.html Why would North Korea launch a rocket into space now? The act invites additional sanctions for a country where the U.N. says millions are going hungry, and the bitter cold had only increased the risk of the launch becoming the latest of several embarrassing failures. Some of Pyongyang's reasons are calendar-related: It's been 100 years since the birth of ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760562-nkorea-rocket-gift-to-leaders-warning-to-world.html 2012-12-12T09:35:00Z