State media shows NKorea has new military chief
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- A North Korean state media dispatch shows that leader Kim Jong Un has named a hardline general as his new military chief....

Japan's central bank says economy picking up
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's central bank says the world's third-biggest economy is "picking up" as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home....

Asia stocks rise as Fed official backs easy policy
BANGKOK (AP) -- Asian stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday after investor confidence was boosted by a Federal Reserve official's comments that the U.S. central bank should stick with its super-easy monetary policy....

All 28 bodies recovered from Indonesian mine room
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Rescuers have recovered all 28 bodies from a collapsed underground room inside the giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia's province of Papua....

Owner: Chinese boat's captain beaten by NKoreans
BEIJING (AP) -- Gunmen wearing North Korean military uniforms released a Chinese fishing boat after holding its crew for two weeks, beating up the captain and stealing the vessel's fuel, the boat's owner said. He added that the hijackers did not get the 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom they had demanded....

India offers more aid for rebuilding Afghanistan
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India offered on Tuesday to provide more training and reconstruction aid for Afghanistan as most international troops prepare to withdraw next year....

Hundreds seek compensation in Japan nuclear crisis
TOKYO (AP) -- Hundreds of people living just outside Japan's Fukushima prefecture say they have been denied adequate compensation after the country's 2011 nuclear disaster despite suffering elevated radiation levels....

Kyrgyzstan bent on evicting US air base in 2014
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) -- Kyrgyzstan's president has reaffirmed that next year the Central Asian nation will evict the U.S. air base that supports military operations in nearby Afghanistan....

Experts: Japan nuke plant needs more fault data
TOKYO (AP) -- Experts commissioned by the operator of a Japanese nuclear plant that faces possible closure because of a suspected active seismic fault say a decision should wait, citing insufficient data....