December 4, 2015 Japan August trade deficit soars 25% to $9.8 bn Japan's trade deficit ballooned to $9.8 billion in August, official data showed Thursday, underscoring how a weaker yen has sent the country's energy import bill soaring.
December 4, 2015 Indonesia jails more elite soldiers over prison murders An Indonesian military tribunal on Friday handed jail terms to four special forces soldiers for involvement in a plot to storm a prison and murder four inmates in a revenge killing.
December 4, 2015 Narrow lead for Cambodia strongman in early poll results Cambodia's strongman prime minister Hun Sen narrowly won the popular vote in recent disputed elections according to preliminary official results Monday that were immediately rejected by the opposition.
December 4, 2015 Afghan, Myanmar women win Magsaysay award Afghanistan's first and only female provincial governor and an aid worker from Myanmar's Kachin minority are among the winners of this year's prestigious Ramon Magsaysay awards, the award foundation said Wednesday.
December 4, 2015 Brilliant Vettel storms to Singapore pole Sebastian Vettel stormed to his fifth pole position of the season at the Singapore Grand Prix Saturday as the brilliant young German stepped closer to his fourth world title in a row.
December 4, 2015 Japan gears up for decisive election Campaigning begins Thursday in an election expected to give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe an almost unbeatable hand, ushering in the stability he needs to fix Japan's floundering economy.
December 4, 2015 Australia's Neill joins Japanese club Omiya Australia's national football captain Lucas Neill has signed a contract with Japan's Omiya Ardija and is ready to play as early as next weekend, the J-League club announced Sunday.
December 4, 2015 New Zealand's Ryder banned over drug test Troubled New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has been banned for six months after testing positive to outlawed substances contained in a weight-loss supplement, the New Zealand Sports Tribunal said Tuesday.
December 4, 2015 Two Koreas in fresh bid to reopen industrial park North and South Korea will take another swing Wednesday at finding a way to reopen their joint industrial park in Kaesong, after six rounds of talks produced little beyond mutual recrimination.
December 4, 2015 Pilot trainer new to the job, Asiana says The trainer assigned to guide a pilot who crash-landed an Asiana Airlines plane in San Francisco was on his first day in the job, the carrier said, as investigators began interviewing the cockpit crew.