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South Asia
Afghan boys collect recyclable items on World Environment Day
A Pakistani boy searches for recyclable items from a garbage dump on the eve of World Environment Day in northwest Pakistan’s Peshawar, June 4, 2013. The World Environment Day that falls on June 5 is celebrated by the United Nations to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues and encourages political…
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West Asia
Afghan women read books at literacy class
An Afghan woman reads a book at a literacy class in Bamyan province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2013. Some Afghan women attend a literacy class in central Bamyan province, 130km west of capital Kabul. The adult literacy rate in the war-hit country is 39% while the adult female literacy rate remains…
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West Asia
Thousands of Shiite pilgrims commemorate death of reversed saint
Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are converging on a golden-domed Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad to commemorate the death of a revered Shiite Muslim saint. Security is tight after a wave of deadly attacks. Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Saad Maan Ibrahim said Tuesday that several thousand policemen and…
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West Asia
Protest continues in Turkey while gov’t apologize for violent crackdown
Turkey’s deputy prime minister offered an apology Tuesday for the government’s violent crackdown on an environmental protest, a calculated bid to ease days of anti-government rallies in the country’s major cities. The message was a bit mixed, however, as hundreds of riot police deployed with water cannons around the prime…
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West Asia
Afghan President Hamid Karzai favors security agreement with US
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he favors a security agreement with America allowing some of its troops to remain after the end of 2014 but wants unspecified “guarantees.” Karzai provided no details when he spoke Thursday at a gathering on rural development. But he has said in the past that…
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West Asia
Israel sends thousands of African migrants to unidentified country
Israel has reached an agreement to send thousands of African migrants to an unidentified country, according to a court document obtained Monday, a plan that has elicited criticism over its potential harm to the migrants. The plan, if implemented, is an attempt to address one of Israel’s more pressing issues:…
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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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West Asia
Conflict between Egypt-Ethiopia deepens due to Ethiopian dam
Politicians meeting with Egypt’s president on Monday proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam on the Nile River upstream. Some of the politicians appeared unaware the meeting with President Mohammed Morsi was being carried live on TV.…
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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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West Asia
President of Al-Najah Univ. appointed as new Palestinian PM
The file photo taken on June 15, 2011 shows Rami Al-Hamadallah, the president of al-Najah University, attending a graduation ceremony in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday assigned an independent academic, Rami Al- Hamadallah, to form a new government to replace the one led…
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