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West Asia
Qatar’s Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani hands power over to his son
March 26, 2013 file photo, Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, center, attends the opening session of the Arab League Summit in Doha. Qatar’s emir moves to hand power over to his son, aiming to bring a youthful new face to rule in a tiny Gulf nation…
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East Asia
Japan’s ruling party makes big gains in Tokyo metropolitan assembly election
Japan’s ruling party on Monday welcomed its sweeping gains in a Tokyo assembly election that was closely watched as an indicator of how the country’s major parties will fare in parliamentary polls next month. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party became the largest single bloc after winning nearly half of the…
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East Asia
Hong Kong allows whistle-blower Snowden to go for third country
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden – an admitted leaker of state secrets – was expected to fly from Moscow to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador. Snowden, also a former CIA technician, fled Hong Kong on Sunday to dodge U.S. efforts to extradite him…
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South East Asia
Thai demonstrators hold masks to protest against gov’t corruption
Anti-government demonstrators hold a mask during a rally Sunday, June 23, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. A few thousands of demonstrators took part in the rally to show their resistance against the government accused of ravishingly spending the tax money just to win popularity. <AP Photo/NEWSis/Sakchai Lalit> Anti-government demonstrators march through…
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West Asia
An Iraqi woman cast votes during country’s provincial elections
Iraqis in two Sunni-dominated provinces voted Thursday in provincial elections marked by tight security that left streets in former insurgent strongholds largely deserted for much of the day. The country is confronting its worst outbreak of violence in years and relations between Iraq’s Sunni and Shiite Muslims remain fraught. The…
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East Asia
China and Taiwan agree to strengthen cross-Strait economic ties
Negotiators from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan on Thursday spoke highly of the prospects of a service trade agreement in strengthening cross-Strait economic ties and boosting the two sides’ respective competitiveness in the service industry. Both Zheng Lizhong, a senior negotiator from the Chinese mainland and his Taiwanese counterpart, Kao…
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East Asia
Chinese Premier visits Vietnam to ease disputes between two nations
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang on Thursday, calling for dialogue to expand consensus and manage differences between the two countries. As neighbors and partners, China and Vietnam are important to each other and the two countries are mutually complementary economically with immense room…
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South Asia
Dissent follows Nepal’s election date announcement
Kathmandu – Almost three months after its formation, the election interim government of Nepal has decided to hold the Constituent Assembly (CA) election on November 19. The announcement of the poll date has ended the uncertainty about the second CA elections in this tiny Himalayan country. The key parties have already…
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East Asia
China-Vietnam agree to set up hotline to resolve South China Sea dispute
China and Vietnam agreed on Wednesday to set up a hotline to resolve fishing incidents in disputed South China Sea waters that have been a frequent source of tensions between the two ideological allies. The two countries’ agriculture ministers signed the agreement in Beijing. No details were immediately available. China…
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East Asia
N. Korean’s Vice FM visits China in attempt to repair strained relations
Negotiators from North Korea and China held strategic talks in Beijing on Wednesday as they work to repair strained relations, but offered little indication they will lead to a resumption of nuclear disarmament talks any time soon. Neither Pyongyang or Beijing offered details of the meeting between North Korean First…
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