BC-AS--Asian News Digest, AS
ASIA:
MALAYSIA-NORTH KOREA - Malaysia's attorney general says the two women accused of killing the half brother of North Korea's leader with a nerve agent in a Kuala Lumpur airport terminal will be charged with murder on Wednesday. SENT: 200 words.
SKOREA-SAMSUNG-POLITICS - South Korean special prosecutors said they planned to indict Samsung's de facto chief Tuesday on bribery, embezzlement and other charges linked to a political scandal that has toppled President Park Geun-hye. SENT: 300 words.
TAIWAN-CRACKDOWN ANNIVERSARY - Amid renewed tensions between Beijing and Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters that is widely seen as a rejection of China's claims to the self-governing island democracy. By Ralph Jennings. SENT: 430 words.
THAILAND-PRISON CONDITIONS - Thailand's prisons fail to meet international standards, with inmates routinely shackled, stuffed into overcrowded cells and forced to work in harsh conditions, an international human rights group said Tuesday. By Kaweewit Kaewjinda and Dake Kang. SENT: 400 words.
VIETNAM-JAPAN - The emperor and empress of Japan departed Tuesday for a one-week trip to Vietnam and Thailand. SENT: 200 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-ISLAMIC STATE - Australian counterterrorism police arrested a man on Tuesday who officials say was planning to advise the Islamic State group on how to develop missiles. SENT: 250 words.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE
FINANCIAL MARKETS - Asian stocks were mostly higher Tuesday after another strong finish on Wall Street as investors awaited a speech by President Donald Trump to the U.S. Congress. By Kelvin Chan. SENT: 440 words, photos.
CHINA-COAL CONSUMPTION - China says that its coal consumption fell in 2016 for a third year in a row. SENT: 150 words.
ASIA-INFRASTRUCTURE - Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific will need to spend up to $1.7 trillion a year, or $26 trillion through 2030, to meet their infrastructure needs and to maintain the region's growth momentum, the Asian Development Bank said in a report Tuesday. By Teresa Cerojano. SENT: 400 words, photos.___
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