Top Asian News at 5:30 p.m. GMT

May 3rd, 2009 Top Asian News at 4:31 p.m. GMTKATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal's prime minister fired the army chief on Sunday after accusing him of defying government orders, prompting a key party to quit the coalition government and plunging the Himalayan country into a political crisis that could endanger its peace process.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 11:30 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 5:00 p.m. GMTKATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal's prime minister fired the army chief Sunday after a struggle over admitting former Maoist rebel fighters to the military, sparking mass protests and jeopardizing the survival of the country's first elected government.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 10:00 a.m. GMTCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands more civilians fled Sri Lanka's northern war zone Tuesday, bringing the exodus of the past two days to nearly 50,000 as a government deadline passed for separatist Tamil rebels to surrender.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 5:30 a.m. GMTCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Tens of thousands of civilians fled Sri Lanka's northern war zone in a record exodus ahead of the government's deadline Tuesday for separatist Tamil rebels there to surrender, officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 10:30 a.m. GMTCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands more civilians fled Sri Lanka's northern war zone Tuesday, bringing the exodus of the past two days to nearly 50,000 as a government deadline passed for separatist Tamil rebels to surrender.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 11:01 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 9:30 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 7:00 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage for more than five months, a spokesman for the Philippine ship owner said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 3:01 p.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — A torturous wait by the families of 23 captive Filipinos ended Tuesday as Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker after holding the crew for more than five months in the Gulf of Aden.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 7:30 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage for more than five months, a spokesman for the Philippine ship owner said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 8:00 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 9:00 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 8:30 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — Somali pirates freed a chemical tanker and its 23 Filipino crew members Tuesday after holding them hostage in the Gulf of Aden for more than five months, the ship owner and officials said.

April 21st, 2009 Top Asian News at 6:30 a.m. GMTMANILA, Philippines — A Philippine shipping company says Somali pirates have freed a tanker and its crew of 23 Filipinos after holding them hostage for more than five months.