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South East Asia
Poem dedicated to two women handpicked by The AsiaN as 2012 Asians of the year
When I got the names of Aung San Suu Kyi(Myanmar) and Malala Yousafzai(Pakistan) to be 2012 Asian of the Year I was watching Egyptian women at Tahrir Square, Cairo, cutting their hair, as a sign of showing opposition to the new constitution approved by the radical government in Egypt. Our…
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West Asia
Israeli Arab Lawmaker Confronts Israeli Decision To Block Her From Reelection
Israeli Arab lawmaker Haneen Zoabi (C) waits before a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, Dec. 27, 2012. Zoabi appealed to the Supreme Court after Israel’s electoral authority barred her from re-election on December 19, saying she had supported the nation’s enemies by joining a protest ship that tried…
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West Asia
Afghan Policemen Seize Some 800 Kilograms Of Hashish In Recent Operation
Afghan policemen unload bags of seized hashish during a presentation by Afghan border police in east Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, Dec. 27, 2012. Afghan border police captured around 800 kilograms of hashish during an operation in Nangarhar province. <Xinhua/Tahir Safi>
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West Asia
Heavy Rainstorm Inundated Streets In Baghdad, Iraq
Iraqis make their way through flooded streets in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. An unusually heavy rainstorm has collapsed shoddy houses in Iraq, killing several people, police and health officials said Wednesday. <AP Photo/Karim Kadim>
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West Asia
An Egyptian Couple Talk Under A Bridge Amid Report Of Investigation Into Accusations Against Opposition Leaders
An Egyptian couple sits under a bridge in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. An Egyptian official says the country’s top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into accusations against opposition leaders of incitement to overthrow the regime. An Egyptian couple strolls along the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Dec.…
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East Asia
Christmas tree in N. Korea
The fuss made by North Korea over the Christmas lights on a steel tower at an observation post overlooking the demilitarized zone reminds me of a similarly lit tree far inside North Korea. It was on the shelf behind the bar of a hotel in the industrial east coast city…
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East Asia
Park Geun-hye must enforce affirmative action
President-elect Park Geun-hye has pledged to recruit highly qualified people for various government posts fairly. According to her, such impartial recruitment is necessary to end the vicious cycle of division and hatred that has haunted South Korea for the past half century. Park’s predecessors have reneged on their promises of…
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East Asia
‘Inter-Korean summit in 2014,’ ex-unification minister suggests
Park Jae-kyu, 68, president of Kyungnam University and former unification minister, advised the upcoming administration of Park Geun-hye to adopt a “gradual step-by-step” approach to improving relations between the two Koreas. The North Korean expert, in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday, cautioned that a sudden shift from the…
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East Asia
Kolleen Park joins team
Renowned musical director Kolleen Park was tapped as a member of the Special Committee for Youth of President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition team, Thursday. According to Park’s chief spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, Park will join the committee set up to tackle youth unemployment and other policy headaches. The 45-year-old artist is a…
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East Asia
Esteemed ex-judge to head Park’s transition committee
President-elect Park Geun-hye appointed Kim Yong-jun, a former head of the Constitutional Court, to lead the presidential transition team, Thursday, while naming a close aide and ruling party lawmaker as its deputy chief. During the 60 days of its existence, Chairman Kim will oversee the team laying the groundwork for…
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