Asia pacific

Thirty or so North Korean refugees in China facing the serious threat of persecution and even death back in their home country, have been granted temporary relief due to South Korea's National Assembly adopting on Monday a resolution urging China to refrain from sending them back.

The measure, backed by 154 lawmakers, calls on China to follow international laws on repatriation of the North Korean refugees, who are facing harsh punishments and even execution upon return to their home country, RTTNews revealed. The resolution urged the U.N. and other global institutions to pressure China into adhering to these laws, which prohibit forcible repatriation, either directly or indirectly, of any individuals to a country where they face the risk of persecution, torture or death.

Around 30 or so North Koreans were arrested by Chinese police on Feb. 8 in the city of Shenyang, and are now being held in the north-eastern city of Changchun for entering the country illegally while on their way to South Korea. China considers them economic migrants rather than asylum seekers, which it is using as grounds to try and send them back. more >>

Popular Christian fighter Ben Henderson won the UFC lightweight title for the first time Saturday night in Japan, defeating champion Frankie Edgar in the UFC 144 pay-per-view event.

The event, which took place around Sunday at noon in Japan, was the first UFC show in the country since 2000. The main event fight was for the lightweight title, and proved to be the best match of the night, with Edgar and Henderson each being awarded $65,000 for having the most exciting bout on the card.

Although the match was hotly disputed, the turning point was when Henderson broke Edgar's nose with an upkick late in the second round and closed Edgar's left eye with his strikes. The judges favored Henderson at the end with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46, giving him the unanimous victory. The very first thing Henderson did after the fight was dedicate his victory to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a statement which was translated for the Japanese audience in the arena. more >>

Two American officers were shot dead inside Afghanistan's heavily guarded interior ministry Saturday, the fifth day of violent protests over the accidental burning of Qurans at a NATO base that have resulted in dozens of demonstrators killed.

A member of the Afghan security forces Saturday fired on the two U.S. officers at close range inside a protected command center at the Interior Ministry in Kabul, Reuters reported.

The victims were advisers to the ministry and among several officers who are in Afghanistan to train and equip that country's security forces ahead of the expected withdrawal of combat troops by the end of 2014. Their names had not been released until Saturday. more >>

JAKARTA, Indonesia – In a defeat for the rule of law in Indonesia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declined to enforce a Supreme Court ruling that a local government allow a West Java church to worship in its building.

The Bogor city government revoked the building permit of the Christian Church of Indonesia (Gereja Kristen Indonesia, or GKI) Yasmin church in February 2008; the Supreme Court ordered it be reinstated in December 2010, but Bogor Mayor Dhani Budiarto has refused.

President Yudhoyono said on Feb. 13 that he would hand the matter back to the Bogor municipal government and the Ministry of Religion. more >>

President Barack Obama has sent a letter of apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai regarding the burning of Qurans at a coalition base in the country's Parwan province after the incident sparked deadly rioting throughout the country. 

The burning of the Islamic holy book, which NATO General John Allen called "unintentional," has set off days of protests in which two American troops and 10 Afghans have been killed, according to reports.

In the letter, President Obama offers his "sincere apologies" and expresses "deep regret" over the incident, according to a statement from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. more >>

A 300 million-year-old forest that was discovered by a team on scientists in China is helping to shed light on how ancient climates affected ecosystems.

Pennsylvania State University's Hermann Pfefferkorn, a professor in the university's Department of Earth and Environmental Science, worked with three colleagues in China.

Jun Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yi Zhang of Shenyang Normal University, and Zhuo Feng of Yunnan University all helped contribute to the discovery. more >>