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South East Asia
Haiyan, the agony you left and heroes you brought!
I have been to Tacloban City many times before, and have also visited other places in the provinces of Leyte and Samar. These are in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. These places are exceptionally beautiful, especially Tacloban City, the major trading and commercial hub in the region. This…
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South East Asia
[Photo Break] Rise and shine!
The photo taken on Dec. 20, 2012 shows the Borobudur stupas during sunrise in Central Java, Indonesia. Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist Temple. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and confirmed as the largest temple in the world by the Guiness World Records in…
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East Asia
[Books] Israel, living on the edge
[BOOKS] My Promised Land The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel By Ari Shavit | Spiegel & Grau | 2013 Winner of the Natan Book Award, My Promised Land, by esteemed Israeli journalist Ari Shavit presents an honest, balanced and comprehensive view of Israel. Shavit uses the past to shed…
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South East Asia
Lessons from ASEAN engagement with Myanmar
In the mass media, Korea is mentioned more often than not as a wholesome personality. It is when the headlines turn to “Tension in the Korean Peninsula” that its split personality becomes evident. Then we begin to see Korea described in diverse terms such as North and South as well…
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East Asia
Korean rage over Dokdo not helping their claim
In late October, Korean and international newspapers reported on the military exercises the South Korean army held at the tiny Korean island of Dokdo. The picture was impressive: the soldiers in full battle gears, choppers and warships were present in the footage. The footage looked good, and this is why…
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South East Asia
Thai crisis deepens as protest leader urges PM to resign after violent clashes
The United Nations closed its main office in Bangkok, dozens of schools closed and many civil servants stayed away from work Monday as the Thai capital braced for more violence in a spiraling political crisis. After a weekend of chaos in pockets of Bangkok, protesters vowed to push ahead with…
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East Asia
[Books] Meet Malala
I Am Malala The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban By Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb | Little, Brown and Company | 2013 Malala Yousafzai, the brave Pakistani girl who stood up for education and was shot in the head by the Taliban, writes…
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South East Asia
Musings for Miss World 2013
Miss World 2013, Miss Philippines! The announcement echoed like a giant wave towards me, while I gazed transfixed in front of the TV. It was the Miss World Pageant beamed live from Bali, Indonesia last September 28, 2013. Screaming my heart out, I felt like I was the one sashaying…
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South East Asia
Thai anti-government protesters rally calling for nationwide uprising
Anti-government protesters in Thailand vowed Tuesday to take control of state offices nationwide in their bid to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, escalating the biggest challenge she has faced since taking office. Opposition-led protesters camped out overnight at the Finance and Foreign Ministries after storming their gates during a chaotic…
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South East Asia
20,000 evacuated to shelters as volcano threat rises to highest in Indonesia
About 12,000 people from villages on the mountainside of Mount. Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra have fled homes since Sunday, bringing the total internally displaced persons to nearly 20,000 as the volcano erupted again, officials said on Monday. Bowo Asa, senior official at the disaster management and mitigation agency at…
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