Washington (UPI) Sep 28, 2006 - At America's behest, Pakistan sent its army into the tribal territories along its northwest frontier. Predictably, its army got beaten. The Pakistani government has now signed a truce with the tribes in North Waziristan, a wise move given that government's fragility. On Sunday, when the power went out all over Pakistan, everyone assumed there had been a coup.
Taipei (AFP) Sep 28, 2006 - Taiwan on Wednesday invited Japan's former prime minister Ju nichiro Koizumi to attend the opening of the island's Japan-built high-speed rail system, the presidential office said. President Chen Shui-bian delivered the invitation through Taiwan's de facto embassy in Tokyo, the presidential office said in a statement.
Tokyo (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Japan said Wednesday its new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could visit China as soon as next month to repair damaged bilateral ties as he knuckled down to work on his conservative agenda. Abe, Japan's first premier born after World War II, is known for his nationalist views but has vowed to mend relations with China and South Korea, which were enraged by his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a war shrine.
Fort Belvoir VA (AFNS) Sep 27, 2006 - The Army has become the first of General Motors' customers to receive the corporation's latest in fuel cell technology. Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research, development and strategic planning, relinquished the keys to a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell prototype to Maj. Gen. Roger A. Nadeau, commander of the Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command, in a Capitol Hill ceremony Sept. 21.
New York (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - British tycoon Richard Branson Wednesday urged the aviation industry to join his Virgin Atlantic airline in an ambitious plan to combat the potential catastrophe of global warming. The billionaire founder of the Virgin Group of companies said that airlines around the world had to play their part in reducing commercial planes' carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to one-quarter.
Beijing (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - China's ruling Communist Party will hold its annual plenary session from October 8-11, state press said Wednesday, a meeting that could seal the political fate of ousted Shanghai boss Chen Liangyu. The session will debate and approve a 2007 economic and social development plan centered on building a harmonious socialist society, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a a decision by president and party chief Hu Jintao.
New Delhi (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Demand from rich Chinese for Indian tiger pelts and parts used in traditional medicine fuels poaching and may lead to the extinction of the species in the wild, conservationists warned Wednesday. Trade of tiger pelts from India into Chinese-ruled Tibet was flourishing despite laws banning the move, a report released in New Delhi by two conservation groups said.
Shanghai (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the nation's largest lender, announced Wednesday it would list in Shanghai and Hong Kong on October 27 in what could be a world-record initial public offering. In a prospectus published in China's official financial press, the bank said it would issue 13 billion yuan-denominated A-shares in Shanghai, subject to an extra allotment option that could lift the total to 14.95 billion share.
Tokyo (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Japan's new defense chief Fumio Kyuma was quoted saying Wednesday that China's growing military spending posed a threat to Japan, taking a stance that has angered Beijing in the past. His remarks, one day after being named to the post, came on the heels of a pledge by new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to try to improve relations with China that had soured under his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Russian officials on Wednesday hammered foreign firms developing the massive Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project at a tense international investor conference in Russia's Far East. Controversial environmental checks on the Shell-led project are based exclusively on the demands of the law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told some 300 investors gathered on the energy-rich island of Sakhalin.
San Francisco (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a historic bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday, making California the first US state to impose limits on gases suspected in global warming. We begin a bold new era of environmental protection here in California that will change the course of history, Schwarzenegger said at a press conference on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
Beijing (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - China warned Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday against introducing a new constitution for the island, saying the move would be an act towards independence that could not be tolerated. Chen said over the weekend that redefining the island's territory in relation to China would be on the agenda as part of his constitutional reform push, which Beijing views as code for Taiwan's independence.
Shanghai (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - One of China's most popular television hosts says he was forced off the air by just-fired Shanghai Communist Party boss Chen Liangyu because he was preparing a show about the graft scandal that led to the politician's downfall. Lang Xianping, who garnered a reputation as the Larry King of China, had his controversial financial program on Shanghai television axed in February after he was officially told his Mandarin Chinese was not good enough.
Washington DC (AFP) Sep 27, 2006 - The largest US business group urged China Wednesday to clamp down on rampant copyright abuses and reform its currency to avert protectionist retaliation by Congress. In an annual report on China's implementation of its World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments, the US Chamber of Commerce complained of daunting challenges to American firms in the booming Asian economy.
Beijing, China (XNA) Sep 26, 2006 - China is compiling a white paper on the its energy policies under the organization of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to inform overseas more about the energy development of the country. The white paper is under the joint compilation of the Energy Bureau and the Institute of Macro Economics, both under the NDRC.
Boston MA (SPX) Sep 26, 2006 - MIT researchers are putting a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter. The resulting device could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios and other electronic devices. It could also dramatically lighten the load for people who can't connect to a power grid, including soldiers who now must carry many pounds of batteries for a three-day mission -- all at a reasonable price.
