Asia

Philippine troops find homemade bomb in southern province

Philippine TroopsKidapawan City, Philippines - Philippine troops on Thursday recovered a homemade bomb planted near a public market in a southern province where days of fighting with Muslim separatist rebels have displaced nearly 160,000 people, the military said.

The device was found in a bag left near a garbage collection area of an old bus terminal in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province, 930 kilometres south of Manila, which is near the wet section of the public market.

Women shoppers in Hong Kong and China don't relay on their men

Singapore - Women in Hong Kong, China and Singapore do not need to rely on their men to pay for their shopping binges, a survey said on Sunday.

Across the Asian region, women from Hong Kong are the most financially independent, with 81 per cent of respondents paying the bills for their purchases, followed by mainland Chinese at 75 per cent.

The survey was conducted by market researcher Synovate with the findings in The Business Times.

Nearly three-quarters of Singaporeans queried confirmed that they too can afford to pay for what they want without asking for money from their husbands or partners.

More than 2,000 women from the ages of 15 to 64 were polled.

Thai Airways top choice for Asia-Pacific business travellers

Singapore - Thai Airways has edged out Singapore Airlines (SIA) as the top choice for business travellers in the Asia-Pacific region, a study said on Thursday.

One soldier dead in clash with Muslim rebels in Philippines

Cotabato City, Philippines - One soldier was killed in a clash with Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines, where the guerrillas are reportedly gathering following a setback in peace talks with the government, officials said Tuesday.

The firefight erupted Tuesday when about 50 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels stormed a sugarcane plantation in Aleosan town, North Cotabato province, 930 kilometres south of Manila, said army Major Randolph Cabangbang, a regional military spokesman.

Cabangbang said government troops responded to the attack, triggering a firefight that killed one soldier.

He said the rebels raided and burned the 10-hectare plantation.

Filipino broadcaster in critical condition in Philippine shooting

General Santos City, Philippines - A 38-year-old Filipino broadcast journalist was in critical condition after being shot by unidentified gunmen in the southern Philippines, police said Tuesday.

Dennis Cuesta was on his way to a mall with a colleague when two suspects aboard a motorcycle opened fire at him in General Santos City, 1,065 kilometres south of Manila, on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Robert Po, city police director, said Cuesta suffered three gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Cuesta's companion was unhurt.

Doctors were able to remove the bullet from the head wound, but Cuesta remained in critical condition, according to surgeon Orlando Mirabueno.

Small, medium business most optimistic in India

Singapore - Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India emerged as the most optimistic in Asia, a survey of Asia- Pacific business confidence said Wednesday.

HSBC's commercial banking unit in Singapore commissioned the biannual survey, regarded as an indicator of economic health.

Fifty-nine per cent of the SME's queried in India expect rapid growth, up from 58 per cent last year, according to findings published in The Straits Times.

South Korea, with only 6 per cent of SME's forecasting positive growth, was the least optimistic.

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