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South East Asia
Malaysian PM Razak boosts Election Commission’s independence
Malaysia’s leader said Saturday that the Election Commission would be placed under Parliament’s watch to boost confidence in its independence after recent national elections sparked allegations of fraud, but the opposition said the move did not go far enough. Prime Minister Najib Razak’s National Front coalition won May 5 polls,…
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South East Asia
ASEAN prioritizes disaster management, emergency response
Disaster management and emergency response are among top priorities of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s members and partners. The statement was made by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the opening ceremony of the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-2) to the ASEAN Agreement…
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South East Asia
Indian PM Singh visits Thailand to discuss economic, security issues
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with his Thai counterpart Thursday on a visit meant to strengthen bilateral ties and connect with the Southeast Asia region. After arriving in Bangkok, Singh held talks with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. They discussed a framework for a free trade agreement and cooperation in…
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Central Asia
Turkish President wearing Turkmen dress meets his Turkmen counterpart
In this photo released by the Turkish Presidency Press Office, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, in traditional Turkmen dress, and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, salute during a welcoming ceremony in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Thursday, May 30, 2013. Gul is in Turkmenistan for a three-day State visit. <AP Photo/Mehmet Demirci, Turkish Presidency…
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East Asia
Japan and India vow to enhance strategic, global partnership
Japan and India on Wednesday vowed to further promote their strategic and global partnership by enhancing bilateral cooperation in a great number of areas. In a joint statement released after the summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, the two countries agreed to intensify…
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South Asia
Newly-elected Pakistani provincial assembly members start 5-year term
Newly-elected Sindh provincial assembly members gather during the first session at the provincial assembly building in southern Pakistan’s Karachi on May 29, 2013. Newly elected members of Pakistani provincial assemblies of northwestern Khyber Paktunkhwa (KP) and southern Sindh provinces on Wednesday took oath of their membership for the next five…
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East Asia
India’s PM Singh’s Japan trip sends strong message to China
India and Japan share a strong strategic interest in expanding cooperation on maritime security and promoting regional stability, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday. Ensuring that sea lanes remain open and free is vital for the region’s prosperity, given its dependence on oil imports from the Middle East, Singh…
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East Asia
China, Sri Lanka upgrade relationships as two presidents hold talks
China and Sri Lanka agreed to upgrade their relations to a strategic cooperative partnership, as the presidents of the two countries held talks in Beijing on Tuesday. According to the new consensus, the two countries will maintain high-level exchanges, enhance political communication, and support each other’s efforts in safeguarding national…
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West Asia
Kuwaiti and Iraqi FM sign MOUs on border marking, housing project
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah (L) and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrives at a joing press conference at foreign ministry building in Kuwait City on 28 May 2013. Kuwait and Iraq sign two memorandums of understanding regarding measures to do maintenance work on the border marking the…
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East Asia
Hashimoto makes another controversial remark on wartime sex slave
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo Monday, May 27, 2013. The outspoken Japanese politician apologized Monday for saying U.S. troops should patronize adult entertainment businesses as a way to reduce rapes, but defended another controversial remark about Japan’s…
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