Asia news in brief - September 3, 2012
TEHRAN - Iran and North Korea signed a scientific and technological co-operation agreement, bringing the two nations deeply at odds with the US closer together. Iranian state television said the accord would include setting up joint scientific and technological laboratories, exchange of scientific teams and transfer of technology. AP
YANGON - Hundreds of Buddhist monks rallied in Myanmar in support of the president and his proposal to send the members of a Muslim minority to another country. President Thein Sein suggested in July that all Rohingya would be sent to any country willing to take them, a proposal quickly opposed by the UN refugee agency. AP
COLOMBO - The Maldives' government accused former president Mohamed Nasheed of "seeking to inflame" unrest in the island nation, and said unruly protests by his supporters would no longer be tolerated. Nasheed claimed he was forced out of power in February by a coup and his supporters have expressed their anger at regular protests, often clashing with police. AFP
NEW DELHI - An Indian government panel has proposed that controversial rules to clamp down on tax evasion should be deferred by three years, in a move aimed at reassuring rattled foreign investors. The General Anti-Avoidance Rules, introduced in this year's budget, seek to curb tax evasion through havens but have been widely criticised as a money-grabbing exercise by the government as it battles to curb a deficit. AFP
