Asia

A US soldier takes a break during a night mission in Kunar Province

Review of the Year 2009: Afghanistan

Battle-weary, but digging in for a long haul

Inside Asia

China opens state-backed gay bar to fight spread of Aids

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

China's first government-backed gay bar has finally opened, very discreetly, after the original scheduled launch was delayed for almost three weeks due to intense media attention.

Judge orders 'an ear for an ear'

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

A Pakistani court has ordered that two brothers should have their noses and ears cut off after they were found guilty of doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them, a government prosecutor said yesterday.

Second soldier 'killed in friendly fire'

Tuesday, 22 December 2009

The British serviceman's death is the second incident being investigated in Afghanistan this week, the Ministry of Defence said today.

Soldier shot dead in Afghanistan

Monday, 21 December 2009

A British soldier has been shot dead in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said today.

Asia's Las Vegas celebrates 10 high-rolling years

Monday, 21 December 2009

Macau celebrated 10 years of Chinese rule yesterday, a frantic decade that has seen the once sleepy Portuguese colony transformed into an Asian gambling hub that makes more money from the tables than Las Vegas.

Soldier killed in Helmand blast named

Monday, 21 December 2009

The latest British soldier to die in Afghanistan has been named as Corporal Simon Hornby, 29, from the 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

Iran's top dissident cleric Montazeri dies

Sunday, 20 December 2009

Iran's senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, has died, official media reported today.

IoS Christmas Appeal: 'I don't know why I was singled out'

Sunday, 20 December 2009

ActionAid, with IoS support, helps all refugees in north-west Pakistan, but women often suffer most..

Karzai unveils new cabinet though little changes

Saturday, 19 December 2009

Afghan President Hamid Harzai plans to keep most of his top ministers, mainly technocrats favoured by the West, in a new cabinet presented to parliament today, one of his ministers said.

Karzai to keep half of cabinet including warlords

Saturday, 19 December 2009

Under intense pressure to reform, President Hamid Karzai plans to replace heads of two ministries linked to corruption while retaining several others favoured by the West, Afghan officials said yesterday. The cabinet lineup is an apparent bid to balance US demands and appease local power bosses who helped him win re-election.

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