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West Asia
[Book Review] The Bamboo Stick: Dispersion between two worlds
The Bamboo Stick: Dispersion between two worlds “The Bamboo Stick” is a novel by Kuwaiti writer Saud Al-Sanousi, which recently won the Booker prize for Arabic novels. It shows the story of Eissa or José, whose mother is Filipino while his father is Kuwaiti, and his struggle in adapting to…
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East Asia
Taiwan’s ‘Farewell to Arms’ to end mandatory military service
A Taiwanese plan to end mandatory military service and shift to an all-volunteer force is running into a problem: not enough volunteers. Such forces are generally considered superior to conscripted ones, because those serving want to be there. Taiwan wants to field a leaner and meaner military of…
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South Asia
Pakistani opposition supporters protest against alleged vote rigging
Supporters of Pakistani politician Imran Khan shout slogans during a protest against alleged vote rigging in eastern Pakistan’s Lahore on May 13, 2013. High turnout in Pakistan’s landmark election was a positive step for democracy even though the campaign was marred by violence and irregularities, a European Union observer mission…
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South Asia
Indian mass marriage held to mark Hindu festival ‘Akshaya Tritiya’
Indian brides, left and bridegrooms, right, sit in customized vehicles during a procession held ahead of a mass marriage held on ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ in Bhopal, India, Monday, May 13, 2013. Monday marked Hindu festival ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ considered most auspicious for marriages and buying gold among other things. Indian brides, and…
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East Asia
A Chinese woman covers her face to protect from floating dust
A woman covers her face with a scarf to protect her from floating dust in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 13, 2013. Floating dust hit Yinchuan on Monday. The city landscape is seen enveloped in dust in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous…
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South East Asia
Warships dock at Singapore’s naval base for Maritime Defense Exhibition
Warships dock at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base, May 13, 2013. Warships from Australia, France, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore docked at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base for display as part of the upcoming International Maritime Defense Exhibition Asia in Singapore on May 14 to 16. An Australian warship approaches at…
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South Asia
Nepalese devotees perform during Rato Machindranath chariot festival
Nepalese devotees play traditional instruments during the first day of Rato Machindranath chariot festival in Lalitpur, Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 13, 2013. Members of Nepal’s Newar community believe celebrating this festival brings rain, good crop and prosperity. A Nepalese priest gestures from the top of a chariot during the first…
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South East Asia
A Filipino soldier stands guard polling stations during midterm election
A soldier stands guard on the highway to polling stations during the midterm election in the southern Philippine town of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao, May 13, 2013. The Philippine midterm elections commenced across the country on Monday. More than 52,000 Filipinos trooped to their election precincts Monday to cast their…
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South Asia
Death toll reaches 1127 as search ends at collapsed Bangladeshi building
A man walks at the site where a Bangladesh garment-factory building collapsed on April 24 in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, May 13, 2013. Nearly three weeks after the building collapsed, the search for the dead ended Monday at the site of the worst disaster in the history of the…
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South Asia
Yunus appeals for action on Bangladesh’s garment industry
Editor’s note: The microfinance pioneer and Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus says action is urgently needed to improve the conditions of four million Bangladeshi workers. In his writing as the first involvement since the incident, he calls on foreign clothes companies to fix a minimum wage for workers to prevent…
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