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West Asia
Turkish former military chief and 18 politicians, journalists get life sentence
In a landmark trial, scores of people – including Turkey’s former military chief, politicians and journalists – were convicted on Monday of plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government soon after it came to power in 2002. Retired Gen. Ilker Basbug was the most prominent defendant among some…
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South East Asia
Thousands of Thai people protest against Yingluck government’s ‘Thaksin rule’
Thailand’s capital braced Sunday for possible unrest in the week ahead, with street protests expected over moves in parliament that could eventually lead to a pardon for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. As many as 2,000 protesters calling themselves the People’s Army Against the Thaksin Regime turned up Sunday for…
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South Asia
Pakistani PM Sharif asks US Secretary of State Kerry to stop drone strikes
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. Pakistan on Thursday asked the visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to stop drone strikes in the country’s tribal regions. ISLAMABAD, Aug. 1, 2013 <Xinhua/NEWSis> Secretary of…
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East Asia
Taiwanese students protest against Taiwan-China trade pact agreement
Police push back student protesters as they try to scale the gates of the legislature in defiance of Taiwan’s latest trade pact agreement with China, in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, July 31, 2013. The pact, signed between the sides on June 21, allows each to invest in the other’s service sectors,…
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West Asia
Egypt’s interim gov’t orders police to break up protests by Morsi supporters
Protesters holding sticks and wearing helmets and makeshift body armor stand behind mounds of sandbags, tires and brick walls. They change guards every two hours to ensure they stay alert. With Egypt’s military-backed government signaling a crackdown is imminent, supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi are taking no chances…
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South Asia
India’s ruling coalition endorses creating 29th state of Telangana in South India
India’s ruling coalition endorsed creating a new state in southern India, which immediately spurred activists to call for other long-standing demands for separate states to be met. The United Progressive Alliance coalition unanimously agreed to endorse that a new state called Telangana be carved out of Andhra Pradesh state, civil…
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West Asia
UN experts to investigate three alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria
U.N. experts will travel to Syria as soon as possible to investigate three alleged incidents of chemical weapons attacks, the United Nations announced Wednesday. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the green light for the investigation followed “the understanding reached with the government of Syria” during last week’s visit to Damascus…
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South East Asia
Cambodia’s opposition demands investigation of election irregularities
After nearly three decades of autocratic rule, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen may be facing his biggest political dilemma in years, with his party’s parliamentary majority vastly eroded in weekend elections by a burgeoning opposition that could block his forming a government. But the farmer’s son whose favorite pastime is…
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South Asia
Over 250 inmates escape from central jail in Pakistan after armed Taliban’s attack
Prison guards said Tuesday that they were totally overwhelmed when around 150 heavily armed Taliban fighters staged a late-night attack on their jail in northwest Pakistan, freeing over 250 prisoners including over three dozen suspected militants. It was the second such attack by the Taliban on a prison in the…
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South Asia
Nepal’s mountaineer Serchan tries to regain Mt. Everest Record at 83
Kathmandu: An octogenarian Nepali mountaineer, whose Guinness World Record as the oldest man to conquer Mt. Everest, the highest peak of the world, was breached by a Japanese octogenarian in May this year, is planning to climb the peak again in Spring next year. Onetime Guinness World Record holder octogenarian…
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