ລິ້ງ ສຳຫລັບເຂົ້າຫາ

ວັນພະຫັດ, ໒໘ ມີນາ ໒໐໒໔

Prominent US Lawmaker in Military-Ruled Burma


TAIWAN TYPHOON: Taiwan's president says the death toll from the flooding and mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot will likely reach over 500 people. Ma Ying-jeou told aides at a national security meeting Friday that nearly 400 people were probably buried alive when a mudslide covered the village of Shiao Lin in southern Kaohsiung county. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead due to the disaster. Mr. Ma's government has been criticized for what many say was its slow response to the crisis. Thousands of villagers were trapped when the floods and mudslides wiped out scores of bridges and roads after Morakot hit the island last week.

US - BURMA: Webb is expected to meet Burma's military chief General Than Shwe during his visit. The senator (- a Democrat from the eastern state of Virginia -) arrived Friday in the administrative capital of Naypyidaw after a flight from Laos, the first leg of his five-nation tour of Asia. Webb is traveling through the region as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee of East Asian and Pacific affairs. A statement from his office earlier this week says he will be the first U.S. lawmaker to visit Burma in more than 10 years. White House officials say they welcome Webb's trip.

US - OBAMA - APEC: U.S. President Barack Obama is to travel to Singapore to attend a meeting of Asian and Pacific leaders in November. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Thursday that Mr. Obama will attend the 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set for November 14 and 15. He said the president will visit other countries, to be announced at a later date.

INDIA - INDEPENDENCE: Indian police are deploying in force in the capital of New Delhi and along the country's borders in preparation for Independence Day celebrations. Police and paramilitary forces patrolled parts of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Friday. Officials say there will also be increased security at the stadium where the main festivities will take place. Military officials say India's many states have also been asked to bolster their security measures as a precaution. And there is increased security at transportation hubs across the country.

PAKISTAN INDEPENDENCE: Pakistani leaders are marking the country's Independence Day, calling for peaceful relations with India and announcing new rights for tribesmen along the border with Afghanistan. Police and security forces were on high alert during celebrations across Pakistan Friday to prevent militant groups from disrupting festivities. Children in the capital of Islamabad sang songs and waved Pakistani flags. In Karachi, military officers marched in a parade while the Pakistan Naval Academy band played.

SOMALIA - EGYPT - PIRATES: A Somali pirate says the kidnapped crews of two Egyptian fishing vessels have won their freedom after attacking their pirate captors. One of the pirates on board, who called himself Miraa, says the hostages overpowered them with machetes Thursday. He said the Egyptian crews then seized guns from the pirates, killing two of his colleagues. Miraa told the Associated Press that he did not know the fate of the rest of his fellow pirates, and that he was wounded in the fight. The pirates had held the Egyptian crews hostage since mid-April.

SOKOR - SAMSUNG: A South Korean court has convicted the former chairman of the Samsung conglomerate on charges of breach of trust for the illegal sale of bonds. The Seoul High Court handed down a three-year sentence on Lee Kun-hee Friday, but suspended the term for five years. The court also fined Lee $89.2 million. Prosecutors charged the 67-year-old Lee with transferring a special type of bond in one of Samsung's subsidiary's to his son at below market price, which caused the company to incur $18 million in losses.

US - TAIWAN - TYCOON: Lawyers for several children of late Taiwanese plastics magnate Wang Yung-ching have begun a legal battle over the estate of the billionaire, who left behind a wife and nine children, but no will. A judge in the northeastern U.S. state of New Jersey Thursday refused to dismiss the case, as proposed by one of Wang's daughters, and instead requested more information. The court must decide whether New Jersey has jurisdiction over his estate. Wang traveled frequently between Taiwan and New Jersey, where his plastics company is based.

Listen to our World News for details.

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