• West Asia

    “Kharabeesh,” a maker of sarcastic cartoons, becomes conspicuous with Arab Spring

    After the internet became the source for any scoop and websites like Facebook and Twitter became more into journalism than into socializing. It was only ordinary when cartoons turn into one of the ways to express your opinion, maybe it’s the strongest way. “Kharabeesh” or more accurately “Kharabeesh Toon” became…

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  • East Asia

    Korea vs. aging

    Last year, I and several colleagues from the foreign correspondents’ community interviewed President Lee Myung-bak. A color photograph of the tableau ― the serious-looking president surrounded by several busily scribbling overseas reporters ― duly appeared in a vernacular daily. A friend pointed out something curious about this picture. Although he…

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  • South Asia

    Nepali Gov’t officials divided over how to deal with killer elephant

    killing Dhurbe, the elephant KATHMANDU – Three weeks after the local administration mobilized security personnel to kill a wild elephant named Dhurbe of the Chitwan National Park after it killed an old couple entering their home in a village on 14 December, the whereabouts of the elephant has not been ascertained for…

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  • West Asia

    Radical Islamist destroys a Buddha statue at Japanese Garden in Cairo

    (Photo : Japanes Garden, Cairo, Old and New) In a dangerous precedent, under circumstances of semi-deliberated absence of the internal security forces, a person, who belongs to the Salafist (Radical Islamist Group), attacked one of the magnificent adorned Buddha statues that stood on the banks of the majestic holy Japanese…

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  • South Asia

    Bangladesh opposition wants dialogue for restoration of caretaker system

    In medical science, BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) is a simple, safe blood test that can help doctors evaluate cardiac function. Natriuretic peptides are part of the body’s natural defense mechanisms designed to protect the heart from stress and play an important role in regulating blood circulation. Cardiologists are exploring the…

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  • Launch of transition team

    President-elect needs to polish up vetting process President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition team was officially launched Sunday, setting in motion the full-fledged formation of the new administration and the solidification of major issues to be pursued over the next five years. A signboard hanging ceremony took place in front of the…

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  • East Asia

    Tough lessons in dealing with North Korea

    South Korea has elected a new president, Park Geun-hye. The vote was primarily about economics, but Park promised to reengage the North with a policy of “trust building.” Now the North’s leader has responded by calling for a reduction in tensions. Unfortunately, Pyongyang remains an impossible partner. A year ago…

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  • East Asia

    Park’s foreign policy

    President-elect Park Geun-hye has appointed former Defense Minister Kim Jang-su as foreign policy point man for her transition team that will prepare for next month’s inauguration of the new administration. Although foreign policy, including the North Korea issue, was not a dominant campaign issue, it is directly linked to most…

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  • South Asia

    Rare elephants’ sports competitions attract over 100,000 spectators in Nepal

    Photo: Bishnu GautamKATHMANDU – Over 100,000 local and foreign tourists enjoyed the games and beauty pageant of elephants in the Chitwan National Park, some 200 kilometers west of here last week.An overwhelming crowd of viewers of all ages and sexes reached the park, the largest national park of Nepal, to enjoy the…

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  • Not Backing Down: China Responds to the US Rebalance to Asia

    *Author, Wu Xinbo is Professor and Deputy Director, the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai. Predictably, the last US presidential election campaign featured the usual competition between candidates over who would be “tougher” on China, a ritual political exercise that is almost always followed by even greater American engagement…

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