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Top Asian News at 3:30 p.m. GMT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Thai lawmakers vote Yingluck Shinawatra as premierBANGKOK (AP) _ Thai lawmakers elected U.S.-educated businesswoman Yingluck Shinawatra as the country's first female prime minister Friday, setting the stage for the 44-year-old political novice to take charge of a nation deeply divided since her brother was ousted in a 2006 coup. Before Yingluck can officially assume the post, King Bhumibol Adulyadej must endorse her in a separate ceremony. Politicians and officials had gathered in hopes it would take place Friday evening, but went home without any action being taken or scheduled. Last audit slams Indian work on Commonwealth GamesNEW DELHI (AP) _ Auditors slammed India's preparations and conduct of the Commonwealth Games last year as deeply flawed, riddled with favoritism and vastly more expensive than planned in a final report that could result in criminal prosecutions. India had hoped the games would buff its image as a rising superpower. Instead it was deeply embarrassed by construction delays, cost overruns and corruption allegations. The head of the organizing committee, Suresh Kalmadi, is in jail on corruption charges. 3 Afghan civilians killed in gunbattle in southKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Insurgents opened fire on Afghan police at an anti-NATO rally in southern Afghanistan Friday, sparking a gunbattle that killed three civilians and a police officer, officials said. The Taliban fighters infiltrated the protest in the town of Qalat in the southern province of Zabul and shot dead a policeman, said provincial police chief Mohammad Nabi Ilham. The police responded by firing into the crowd of about 100 protesters gathered in the town bazaar, killing three civilians and wounding two others. Experts question if China attacks planned abroadBEIJING (AP) _ Chinese Muslim militants have been to Taliban-controlled parts of neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan, but there is scant evidence supporting Chinese government claims that they returned home to carry out recent terrorist attacks. Overseas analysts and Uighur activists call the Chinese accusations a smoke screen to obscure the anger and hopelessness among Muslim ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang region they say are driving the violence. Powerful typhoon bears down on China's east coastBEIJING (AP) _ China warned residents and alerted emergency relief centers Friday to prepare for a powerful typhoon forecast to hit the country's heavily populated eastern coast. Typhoon Muifa is forecast to hit late Saturday or early Sunday close to Shanghai, a commercial hub with a population of 23 million. Residents were warned to take precautions to prevent injuries and losses, the website of the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported. India party chief Gandhi has surgery abroadNEW DELHI (AP) _ Sonia Gandhi has temporarily turned over leadership of India's ruling Congress party while she recuperates from overseas surgery for an undisclosed ailment, the party said in a statement Friday. Gandhi, the 64-year-old widow of slain Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is widely viewed as the most powerful person in India, setting government strategy and doling out Cabinet posts. Sri Lankan power-sharing talks near collapseCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Talks aimed at power sharing after Sri Lanka's civil war appeared near collapse Friday, with an ethnic minority Tamil party demanding that the government explain its position within two weeks but the government saying it is unable to do so. Instead, the government announced it would appoint a parliamentary committee to reach a consensus on the issues. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ethnic majority Sinhalese-controlled government holds a sizable majority in Parliament. North Korea: 30 dead, thousands homeless in floodSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Heavy rains late last month in North Korea caused flooding that killed about 30 people and left almost 16,000 homeless, state media said Friday. Thousands of homes were destroyed and farm land was heavily damaged, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch from Pyongyang. Philippine Airlines flight to LA diverted to JapanMANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Philippine Airlines says its flight to Los Angeles carrying 427 passengers has been diverted to northern Japan due to an exhaust fan malfunction. It says all passengers have been accomodated in hotels while waiting for the aircraft to be cleared for flight. Philippine president meets Muslim rebel chiefMANILA, Philippines (AP) _ Talks between Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and the chief of the country's main Muslim rebel group have given a tremendous boost to efforts to end the decades-long insurgency, the guerrillas said Friday. Aquino met with Murad Ibrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in a suburb of Tokyo late Thursday and discussed ways to push the peace process forward, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said. Myanmar says ethnic rebels kill 7 in ambushYANGON, Myanmar (AP) _ Rebels in northern Myanmar ambushed a car carrying workers from a Chinese-backed hydroelectric project, killing seven people, state media reported Friday. Ethnic Kachin fighters attacked the vehicle as it traveled from the Tarpein power plant to the town of Moemauk on Tuesday, the government-owned Myanma Ahlin newspaper said. Bali bombing suspect opens up to policeJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) _ A top anti-terrorism official says the main suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings is providing investigators with information about other attacks in Indonesia. Chairul Akbar said Friday that Umar Patek admitted to building bombs for the suicide attacks on two packed Bali nightclubs that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. Australia: 14 refugee kids could go to MalaysiaCANBERRA, Australia (AP) _ A United Nations organization urged Australia on Friday not to expel 14 asylum-seeking children to Malaysia as part of a refugee swap deal, but the government said such exceptions would encourage people smugglers to send "boatloads of children." The 14 children are among 55 asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Pakistan who arrived by boat Thursday at an immigration detention camp on the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Chinese paper says hacking claim 'irresponsible'BEIJING (AP) _ A Chinese state newspaper on Friday rejected suggestions Beijing might be behind global cyberattacks over the past five years targeting more than 70 government entities, nonprofit groups and corporations. The ruling Communist Party flagship People's Daily said it was "irresponsible" to link China with Internet hacking attacks reported by computer security firm McAfee Inc. on Wednesday. New Zealand bans sale of 'legal weed' productsWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) _ New Zealand has banned the sale of 43 products designed to mimic the effects of smoking marijuana. The one-year ban covers "legal weed" products such as the popular Kronic that are designed to make users experience a high. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |