• South East Asia

    Typhoon Bopha Wreaks Havoc On The Philippines, Leaving 224 Dead

    A rescuer covers bodies recovered from flashflood in New Bataan, Compostela Valley province, southern Philippines Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. The death toll from Typhoon Bhopa climbed over 280 Wednesday, while scores of others remain missing in the worst-hit areas of the southern Philippines. <AP Photo/Karlos Manlupig> Photo taken on Dec.…

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  • South East Asia

    85th Birthday Of Thai King Bhumibol Celebrated In Bangkok

    Thai royal guard march during a ceremony celebrating King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 85th birthday held at the the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. <AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit> Thai women hold pictures of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej before he addresses the crowd from a balcony of the…

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  • South Asia

    Dense Fog In Calcutta, India, During Winter Months Often Cause Traffic Delays

    Residents run in the fog at Maidan ground, a large region of greenery in Calcutta, capital of eastern Indian state West Bengal, on Dec. 5, 2012. During the winter months the northern areas of India often experience dense fog, causing traffic delays and disrupting air. Residents and a horse are…

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  • Are two Koreas in space race?

    While pundits speculate over North Korea’s motivation for a long-range rocket planned launch for this month, one factor has been largely overlooked: a competition with the South to become the first to put a satellite in orbit. Security analysts point out that Pyongyang’s announcement on Dec. 1 of the launch…

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  • Seoul seeks to freeze NK accounts

    Seoul is working with international powers to identify North Korean financial accounts to freeze as a possible measure if Pyongyang follows through with a long-range rocket launch later this month. Government officials said the Lee administration was working with the international community to identify bank accounts abroad that hold money…

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  • South Korea falls to 45th in global corruption awareness ranking

    South Korea dropped two notches in a global corruption awareness ranking to place 45th among 176 nations in 2012, an international watchdog said in its annual report on Wednesday. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012 issued by the non-governmental agency Transparency International (TI), South Korea scored 56 out…

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  • South East Asia

    [Indonesia Report] Gov’t efforts to curb deforestation paid off

    Following a moratorium on new logging concessions last year, Indonesia has allocated 45 percent of Kalimantan, the country’s part of Borneo Island, to remain as conservation and forested areas and serve as “the lungs of the world,” said the Center of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in its website. Indonesian Minister of Forestry,…

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  • West Asia

    Street Newsstands In Cairo Filled With Only State-Owned Newspapers

    An Egyptian walks past a stand displaying state-owned newspapers in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Most independent Egyptian newspapers suspended publication of Tuesday’s edition in protest over the hurried drafting of the country’s new constitution adopted by an Islamist-led panel. The media protest involved at least eight influential dailies…

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  • Allies may sanction N. Korea

    North Korea notified nearby countries and an international agency of the trajectory of its planned long-range rocket launch this month, Tuesday, as South Korea sought consultations on how best to handle its neighbor’s actions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that Pyongyang stated that the launch slated from Dec. 10…

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  • East Asia

    Seoul to ditch US missile purchase

    Seoul is considering eliminating a U.S. defense giant from its possible bidders for the purchase of 177 long-range air-to-surface cruise missiles due to Washington’s continued delay in issuing an export license, multiple sources said Tuesday. Korea has repeatedly expressed interest in the purchase of the Lockheed Martin’s the Joint Air-to-Surface…

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