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West Asia
Turkish PM Erdogan rejects comparison with Arab Spring uprisings
Turkish riot police launched round after round of tear gas against protesters on Monday, the fourth day of violent demonstrations, as the president and the prime minister staked competing positions on the unrest. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the protesters’ demands that he resign and dismissed the demonstrations as…
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East Asia
Private sector role stressed at Japanese-African leaders’ meeting
Japanese and African leaders stressed the importance of private sector investment in promoting Africa’s economic growth as they wrapped up a development conference Monday held once every five years. Japan promised 3.2 trillion yen ($32 billion) in government and private-sector aid to the region at the outset of the three-day…
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West Asia
Anti-government clashes in Turkey spread as protesters hold square
A demonstrator was killed Monday during a wave of protests in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul, the Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) said. Mehmet Ayvalitas, 20, was hit by a car driver, who ignored warnings in demonstrations in Umraniye district, the TTB said. The victim, a member of Socialist Solidarity Platform,…
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South East Asia
Filipino elementary pupils attend school at first day of new school year
Elementary pupils cross a river on a raft to attend the opening of classes for the school year 2013-2014 Monday, June 3, 2013 at a remote village in Rodriguez township, Rizal province, about 50 kilometers (33 miles) east of Manila, Philippines. More than 20 million Filipino students flock to schools…
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West Asia
Thousands of Turks participate in anti-gov’t protest at Taksim Square
ISTANBUL (AP) – Turkey’s prime minister on Sunday rejected claims that he is a “dictator,” dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe, even as thousands returned to the landmark Istanbul square that has become the site of the fiercest anti-government outburst in years. Over the past three days, protesters around the…
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East Asia
Asia-Pacific security forum ‘Shangri-la Dialogue’ kicks off in Singapore
Cyber security threats are a threat to not only the United States, but also other countries including China, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Saturday. “They are threats to China. They are threats to every country. We share those common interests,” the Pentagon chief told an audience that included…
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East Asia
2 dead and 21 injured in 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan
Two people died and 21 others were injured, including 3 severely, in an earthquake that shook Taiwan’s Nantou County on Sunday afternoon, according to the island’s disaster response authorities. The two deaths were reported in Nantou and the neighboring Chiayi County, the authorities said. One person is still missing, the authorities said. Zhang Zhijun,…
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East Asia
Vietnamese protest against China’s territorial claims in South China Sea
Police detained about 15 anti-China protestors Sunday during a march in the Vietnamese capital that showed the domestic pressure the government faces when dealing with Beijing’s muscular approach to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Scuffles broke out as police hauled ringleaders or especially vocal protesters into buses during…
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South Asia
Pakistani protesters condemn US drone attack that killed Taliban leader
The drone attack that killed a Pakistan Taliban deputy leader this week was a clear signal that despite President Barack Obama’s promise last week of new transparency in the drone program, the CIA will still launch secret attacks on militants in north Pakistan and the administration will not have to…
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South East Asia
Myanmar’s gov’t and Kachin rebels edge toward cease-fire
Myanmar’s government and ethnic Kachin rebels have ended three days of peace talks with a tentative deal to de-escalate fighting and continue a political dialogue. The two sides signed a seven-point agreement Thursday in the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, in an effort to end nearly two years of fighting. There…
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