Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune
News from Asia - Pacific from The International Herald Tribune, the world's daily newspaper online.



Is Afghanistan a narco-state? (Jul 24)
The Taliban are not the only ones benefiting from the opium trade. Drug-related corruption pervades the Afghan government. A former counternarcotics official explains the war within the war.


Battle in Afghanistan leaves scores dead (Jul 24)
Fierce fighting broke out in southern Afghanistan when Taliban insurgents attacked an Afghan Army convoy on the main highway south of the capital.


Dissident's wife writes appeal to Chinese president (Jul 24)
The wife of a Chen Guangcheng - a blind, jailed rights activist - asks President Hu Jintao to end official harassment of her family. She said she could not wait for the pre-Olympics crackdown to end.


Cambodia and Thailand to discuss land dispute (Jul 24)
The two countries agreed to meet Monday to discuss a stretch of disputed land near a historic temple, rather than take the matter to the United Nations immediately, officials from both countries said.


ASEAN countries to pool resources for disaster relief (Jul 24)
Governments meeting at an Asia-Pacific security conference announced an ambitious plan to pool international assets, including military support, to tackle natural disasters in the region.


Beneath Olympic glitter, a 20th-century mindset (Jul 24)
For all of the rumble and vroom of the Chinese economy and all of the glitter on behalf of the Games, people who think with care will get the impression that China is fundamentally a rather old-fashioned place.


Plan would use antiterror aid on Pakistani jets (Jul 24)
The Bush administration plans to shift nearly $230 million to upgrading Pakistan's F-16s, which critics say are not used in counterterrorism efforts.


Strong quake hits northern Japan (Jul 24)
Boulders tumbled onto a national highway and more than 100 people were injured over all.


Trial begins for Indonesian pilot in fatal crash (Jul 24)
The pilot, Marwoto Komar, is accused of negligence, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.


China presses grieving parents to take hush money on quake (Jul 24)
Local governments have begun a coordinated campaign to buy the silence of angry parents whose children died during the May earthquake.