THAILAND

China is ready to start building a series of controversial hydropower plants on the Nu River in the southwestern province of Yunnan, state media said, citing a senior energy official.

Two political scientists at Hebrew University in Israel say they have come up with a method of predicting the likelihood that a country will suffer civil unrest.

The popular Pattaya beach in Thailand is eroding at a rate of nearly two meters a year that could lead to its extinction in less than five years, according to Thai scientists.

Asian stocks posted modest gains on Tuesday, led by shares in resource companies, as strong U.S. factory data and surging commodities prices offset fears that unrest in Egypt could spread elsewhere in the Middle East.

An elected parliament convened in Myanmar on Monday for the first time in half a century but inspired scant enthusiasm among a sceptical public convinced it is just a smokescreen for continued military rule.

A battle between large supermarket operators to tap into Southeast Asia's growing consumer wealth could trigger more acquisitions, with Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines seen as the next hot spots.

Global economic recovery is not resulting in job creation, as the number of the unemployed people worldwide stood at a record 205 million last year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned on Monday.

Millions of children worldwide die every year from preventable diseases and the bad situation is only going to worsen due to an increasing shortage of healthcare workers.

Thai police said on Monday as many as 91 Rohingya boat people, who ended up in the country while fleeing from Myanmar, will be deported.

Budget travel and staying at boutique hotels don't have to be mutually exclusive with a little research. Online boutique travel brand Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com) selects 10 top boutique hotels around the world which won't cost the earth. All double rooms from less than $240. Reuters has not endorsed this list:

The CIA persuaded Switzerland to destroy millions of pages of evidence showing how a Pakistani scientist helped Iran, Libya and North Korea acquire sensitive nuclear technology, according to a new book.

China's central bank raised lenders' required reserves on Friday for the fourth time in just over two months, stepping up the fight against inflation that it has vowed will be a top priority for the year.

The euro paused on Friday but was still on track to post its best weekly performance against the dollar in 20 months, while Asian equity markets struggled to extend recent gains, with Japan's Nikkei retreating from an 8-month peak.

The euro zone faces short-term price pressures which could linger, the European Central Bank said on Thursday, showing it is ready to raise interest rates if needed although it expects inflation should be contained.

China dumped plans to import several million tonnes of expensive corn and South Korea unveiled cuts in import tariffs on some products, underscoring the dilemma over how to tackle rising food prices.

The European Central Bank will face a grilling on its assessment of the euro zone debt crisis and firming price pressures in the bloc after it left interest rates on hold at 1 percent on Thursday.

Even before it launches the first passenger cars under its own brand at home, China's BAIC has set its sights on expansion overseas.

Douglas Clayton, chief executive officer of investment fund manager Leopard Capital, is one of the premier investors of the frontier markets. Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Clayton speaks to IB Times about the ramifications of Laos opening a stock exchange.

Over 30,000 protestors took to the streets in Bangkok on Sunday in a peaceful anti-government rally, in the first move seen by the Red Shirts group since the emergency rule was lifted last month.

In an annual survey conducted by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, India for the first time topped the list as the most attractive destination, overtaking China.

The devastating floods in Queensland Australia has driven up the prices of certain commodities, including coal, wheat and sugar. With warnings that the flood may not recede for weeks, the longer-term impact on commodity prices becomes a great concern.