Raising questions about the creeping trend of "crony capitalism", the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh said that industrialisation can not depend only on large corporate groups.

The Chinese government's restrictions on Beijing motorists during a three-day conference last November - widely viewed as a dress rehearsal for efforts to slash smog and airborne pollutants during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing - succeeded in cutting the city's emissions of one important class of atmospheric gases by an impressive 40 percent.

As Iraq is debating a new law that will set guidelines under which authorities can negotiate with foreign oil firms, several energy-hungry countries in Asia hope to be among the first to sign contracts to explore the world's third largest oil reserves. Claudia Blume at VOA's Asia News in Hong Kong reports.

Germany's federal Minister Michael Glos welcomes the green light.

Russia is laying the infrastructure to become a major oil supplier to Asian countries, including an ambitious pipeline being built from Siberia to the Pacific coast, a Russian diplomat said today.

The Annual Conference 2007 of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) opened Saturday in Boao of southern China's Hainan Province, focusing on the integration of the whole Asia. China's top legislator Wu Bangguo attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says Asia is fast catching up to the West in technology training and research, and he predicts that some of the next major technological advances will be coming from the region. Gates was speaking at the annual Boao Forum, which opened Saturday in Southern China with more than 1,400 leaders of government, business and academia discussing innovation and sustainable development.

Experts in cancer treatment from the United States, Europe and Australia are meeting colleagues from Asia to discuss how to prevent a huge increase in cancer cases in the region. They are gathering in Singapore for a conference organised by the British medical journal, The Lancet.

Scientists using the nation's newest and most capable aircraft for environmental research are launching a far-reaching field project this month to study plumes of airborne dust and pollutants that originate in Asia and journey to North America. The plumes are among the largest such events on Earth, so great in scope that scientists believe they might affect clouds and weather across thousands of miles while playing a role in global climate.

Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are placing new emphasis on combating financial crime, including money laundering and corruption. Ron Corben reports from Bangkok that also officials say they are gaining ground in the fight against money laundering in Asia.

The United Nations has warned that Asia is more vulnerable to a repeat of the financial meltdown that swept the region a decade ago, while hailing it as the locomotive of global growth. The caution is issued in the annual survey by ESCAP, the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Visitors to The Smithsonian Museum's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. are experiencing the beauty and splendor of Asian gardens without taking a step outside. The exhibit, called "East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art," features dozens of artworks depicting centuries of gardens in Asia.