Asia

7 May 2008 -- The senior U.S. diplomat in Burma said Wednesday the death toll from the cyclone that hit the southeast Asian country late last week could exceed 100,000. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meawnhile says the United States is trying to mobilize countries in the region to press the Burmese government to admit more aid workers and supplies.

Typhoon Nargis prior to making landfall in Burma: NASA photo

The top U.S. diplomat in Burma says the situation in the stricken areas of the country is sounding more and more horrendous as reports of damage and casualties trickle in. She says when the final death toll emerges, there could be well over 100,000 fatalities.    » read more »

7 May 2008 -- A series of strong earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean shook eastern Japan and Tokyo early Thursday. Early reports indicate the quakes caused no serious damage or injuries, and authorities say there is no risk of a tsunami.

Tokyo, Japan: Photo by Alex Masters (CC)

The strongest jolt, magnitude 6.7, hit shortly before 2 a.m., local time (12:45 p.m. Wednesday EDT / 1645 Wednesday UTC). It was centered about 35 kilometers below the surface, at a spot in the ocean about 160 kilometers east of Tokyo.    » read more »

7 May 2008 -- A top counterterrorism official says the United States has had a mixed record of success in the fight against al-Qaida terrorists. President Bush's nominee to run the National Counterterrorism Center, Michael Leiter, said Pakistan could do more to crackdown on terror safe-havens.

Afghanistan-Pakistan border station: Photo courtesy DOD

Michael Leiter, who has served as Acting Director of the National Counterterrosim Center since November of last year and is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate, listed a number of successes in the fight against terrorism, including tracking and disrupting plots.    » read more »

Initial observations preview full report due out soon

May 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) today helped unveil new findings from the independent Government Accountability Office showing the failure of $5.56 billion in U.S. taxpayer money since 9/11 intended to help defeat al Qaeda (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08735r.pdf).    » read more »

May 1, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement in support of the Fair Currency Act, S.796. Obama is a cosponsor of the measure.

"It is long past time for the United States to confront the issue of unfair trade with China. The Chinese Government must play by the rules and act as a positive force for balanced global progress.    » read more »

5/5/2008 -- The cyclone that hit Burma over the weekend is one of the worst natural disasters since the Asian tsunami of 2004. It appears that many thousands have been killed and countless others are missing or otherwise hurt by the cyclone. My heart goes out to the victims of this horrible natural disaster and I hope the United States and the international community will respond to the needs of the Burmese people, who have suffered so much over the years.

Burma cyclone, May 2008: Photo by Mohd Nor Azmil Abdul Rahman (CC)    » read more »

28 April 2008 -- Chinese officials say at least 66 people were killed and hundreds injured when two passenger trains collided Monday in eastern China.

The official Xinhua news agency says the trains collided before dawn near the city of Zibo, in Shandong province. The agency said more than 400 people have been hospitalized, with about 70 listed in critical condition.

Xinhua cited officials who said human error caused an express from Beijing to the eastern city of Qingdao to derail and hit the second train, traveling from the city of Yantai in Shandong to Xuzhou in Jiangsu province. Both trains were reportedly traveling at full speed.

Authorities said they ruled out terrorism.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has been dispatched to the area to oversee rescue efforts.    » read more »

21 April 2008 -- Pakistan's new government has released an ailing top pro-Taliban militant involved in an insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan, after more than six years imprisonment.

Sufi Muhammad - head of the banned "Movement for the Enforcement of Sharia Law" - was freed Monday under a peace agreement with tribal elders in northwestern Pakistan.

   » read more »

Seasonal influenza strains constantly evolve in overlapping epidemics in Asia and sweep the rest of the world each year, according to an international research team publishing in the 18 April issue of the journal Science.

The findings suggest that by focusing surveillance efforts on East and Southeast Asia, researchers may be able to extend their forecast of the flu strains most likely to cause epidemics, which may in turn help experts decide which strains should go in the flu vaccine each year.

Influenza virus: Photo by CDC    » read more »

Cheyenne, Wyoming - In two separate meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing today, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal discussed future opportunities in tourism, energy and in particular, coal bed methane development.

“I thank both officials for their gracious reception and am encouraged by the substantive nature of the discussions,” Freudenthal said.

Coalbed methane discharge point: Photo by USGS    » read more »

12 April 2008 -- The Carter Center found that the majority of Nepali voters participated in a remarkable and relatively peaceful constituent assembly election on April 10, 2008. Preliminary reports indicate that the administration of this election was well executed, bearing testimony to the hard work of election officials and the determination of Nepal's people to ensure that their country continues on the path to sustainable peace and democracy.

It is now essential for Nepal to remain calm, to await final results, and where there are disputes, to follow appropriate legal procedures. The Carter Center will continue to observe the district counting and national tabulation until complete and, when appropriate, comment further on the electoral process.

Key points:    » read more »

NANJING, CHINA -- While in China this week on a business and trade mission, Governor Bob Riley is promoting efforts to link scientists from Huntsville with Chinese health agencies to improve public health and food safety.

The Governor and Dr. Jian Han of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have met with the leaders of public health agencies in the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing.

Alabama Governor Riley discusses food safety in China: Dr. Jian Han of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology (pointing) and Gov. Bob Riley tour laboratories at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Nanjing, China. Photo courtesy Alabama Governor's office.    » read more »

Rising Food Prices May Require Stepped Up Social Assistance to Help Poor

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2008 — World Bank officials today warned that the countries of Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and Central Asia face slower economic growth as a result of the economic downturn in the U.S. and Western Europe, and should step up their efforts to protect poor and vulnerable people from the effect of higher food and energy prices.

Rice-fields in a valley near Lao Cai, northern Vietnam: Photo by Tran Thi Hoa / World Bank (CC)    » read more »

10 April 2008 -- The president of the International Olympics Committee says the Beijing Games will recover from a "crisis" involving anti-China protests that have marred the international torch relay. Jacques Rogge made the vow Thursday at the opening session of IOC's executive board meeting in the Chinese capital.

San Francisco protesters against the Beijing Summer Olympic Games: Photo by Scott Eaton (CC)

Rogge says the IOC was "saddened" by demonstrations that disrupted the carrying of the torch in London and Paris.    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today regarding the Olympic torch relay’s planned route tomorrow through the City of San Francisco, the only city in North America to host the torch:

“The Olympic Charter states that the goal of the Olympic games should be to promote ‘a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.’

Tibet protesters during Olympic torch relay, Paris: Photo by Siobhán Silke (CC)    » read more »