Singapore - Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Wednesday his country made a further contribution of 30 million Australian dollars (29 million US dollars) in assistance to the victims of Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis that left 140,000 people dead or missing.

Smith, who was attending the annual foreign minister meetings of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the amount was in addition to the 25 million dollars Australia contributed immediately after the cyclone struck in May.

Manila - Economic growth in East Asia will slow down in 2008 and 2009, weighed down by higher-than-expected inflation and a protracted slowdown in the United States, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Tuesday.

In the July issue of its Asia Economic Monitor report, the Manila-based ADB said East Asia's economic growth will moderate to 7.6 per cent in 2008, from 9 per cent in 2007.

The same growth rate is forecast for 2009.

The forecast covers China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and the members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Singapore - Myanmar ratified the Association of South-East Asian Nation's landmark charter Tuesday and vowed to uphold and enhance its democratic ideals.

Myanmar, vilified for its dictatorial government and human rights abuses, became the seventh of the 10-member regional grouping to ratify the document, which was signed by the leaders in November last year.

"Myanmar's ratification of the charter demonstrates our strong commitment to embrace the common values and aspirations of the peoples of ASEAN," Foreign Minister Nyan Win said.

Singapore - Foreign ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) started meeting in Singapore Thursday with the aim of early ratification of a landmark charter giving the organi

Singapore - The sealing off of air vents along the corridors of nine housing blocks has raised the ire of residents who were not consulted and are unhappy about less light and air entering their go

Singapore - The entertainment and media (E&M) market in the Asia-Pacific region is forecast to grow quickly over the next five years particularly in China and India, a published study said Mond