Wellington - New Zealand's Asian community - the fastest-growing group in the nation of just under 4.3 million - is poised to make its voice heard as never before in parliament after next month's general election.

Up to four other Asians could join current members Chinese migrant Pansy Wong and Pakistani Muslim Ashraf Choudhary in the House of Representatives after the poll on November 8.

They will not be a huge bloc in the parliament of about 120 seats, but will have an important profile, given predictions that the number of Asians could near 800,000, close to the estimated indigenous Maori population, inside two decades.

Islamabad - Five children were killed and two i

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thurs

Taipei - Taiwan stocks shed more than 3 per cent Thursday, over possible Taipei-Beijing tension arising from upcoming anti-China demonstrations.

The TAIEX index fell 150.89 points, or 3.19 per cent, to close at 4,579.62.

Analysts attributed the fall to the plunge of major Asian stock markets - with South Korean shares dipping more than 9 per cent and Japanese shares down more than 7 per cent in mid-morning trading - and possible cross-strait tension arising from anti-China protests planned Saturday by Taiwan separatists.

Washington, Oct 24 : Scientists have developed the first silicon solar cell to achieve the groundbreaking milestone of 25 per cent efficiency.

The solar cell has been developed by scientists at UNSW’s (University of New South Wales) ARC Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence, in Australia.

The UNSW ARC Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence already held the world record of 24.7 per cent for silicon solar cell efficiency.

Now, a revision of the international standard by which solar cells are measured, has delivered the significant 25 per cent record to the team led by Professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham and widened their lead on the rest of the world.

Tokyo - Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average on Friday lost nearly 10 per cent of its value, tumbling below 8,000 for the first time since May 2003, on indications the global financial crisis was beginning to hit the nation's exporters.

The Nikkei shed 811.9 points, or 9.6 per cent, to close at 7,649.08.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues plunged 65.59 points, or 7.52 per cent, to 806.11.

The tumble was led by Sony Corp, whose shares plunged 14 per cent one day after the world's second-largest electronics company warned its profits this year were expected to drop nearly 60 per cent compared with last year.