ASIA & THE PACIFIC - latest news report on Asia and the Pacific

PHILIPPINES

Southern mayor charged with 25 'election' murders

Prosecutors charged Andal Ampatuan Jnr, a mayor in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, with 25 counts of murder on Tuesday, accusing him of organising a massacre in November to ensure his 2010 election bid for provincial governor.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Japanese diplomat takes over as UN nuclear watchdog chief

A Japanese diplomat and expert on disarmament, Yukiya Amano, has taken the helm of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). His appointment comes as the UN nuclear watchdog deals with a tense standoff over Iran's nuclear programme.

SRI LANKA

Colombo says detained Tamils now free

Sri Lankan officials say thousands of civilians held in detention camps since the military offensive against Tamil rebels earlier this year have been freed. Many whose villages were wiped out during the fighting are expected to remain displaced.

IRAN - UK

London says 'no confrontation' over detained sailors

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said there was "no confrontation or argument" with Iran over a case of five Britons arrested off the coast of the Islamic Republic. Iran said earlier that it was examining the case.

PAKISTAN

President Zardari hands over nuclear powers to prime minister

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (photo), has handed over control of the country's nuclear arsenal to his prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani. The move comes as an amnesty shielding the president and key allies from prosecution for graft expires.

NUCLEAR IRAN

Western powers slam Tehran's atomic programme expansion

Iran's government announced plans to build ten new uranium enrichment plants and said work would start within two months, prompting widespread international condemnation from the US, Britain, Germany and France.

SRI LANKA

General who defeated Tamil Tigers launches presidential bid

Sarath Fonseka (pictured), the Sri Lankan general who ended the Tamil Tigers' almost three-decade-long struggle for independence, announced on Sunday that he would challenge the president in a January election.

AFGHANISTAN

January conference to set milestones for Karzai, says Brown

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says world leaders will set the conditions for a gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan authorities at a conference in London in January.

IAEA

ElBaradei steps down as director general, Japan's Amano to take helm

Director general Mohamed ElBaradei of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delivered farewell remarks at the agency on Sunday as he prepared to hand his mantle to Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano.

AFP

Dogs diagnosed with swine flu in China: report

Two dogs in Beijing have tested positive for swine flu in the second case of animals catching the disease in China along with pigs in the northeast, Chinese media said Sunday.The A(H1N1) virus detected in the dogs was 99 percent identical to the one ...

PAKISTAN

Graft amnesty lapse prompts fears of political instability

An amnesty on corruption cases protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and senior government officials expires on Saturday, raising fears that the resumption of politically-charged graft cases could plunge the country into a new political crisis.

MUMBAI ATTACKS

One year on, a police widow seeks answers

In the critical early moments of the Mumbai attacks, the city lost its top three cops and Vinita Kamte lost her beloved husband. A year on, she says the police force should learn from the blunders of the past – if only they would acknowledge them.

The "Duch" trial