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North Korea May Complete Reactor Next Year: US Think Tank

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 5:00 am (UTC-5)
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A U.S. research institute says satellite images show North Korea could complete construction on a light-water nuclear reactor by the end of next year. But analysts say there is no consensus on what it means for the future of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Technology says imagery taken in […]

Tags: , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Afghan-Pakistani Team to Investigate Cross-Border Shelling

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
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The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to send a joint military delegation to investigate recent cross-border shelling incidents that have raised tensions between the two neighbors. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari met Tuesday on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Mecca. A statement […]

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Bomb Wounds 3 Near UN Hotel in Syrian Capital

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 3:35 am (UTC-5)
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Syrian state television says a bomb has exploded near a hotel used by United Nations observers in Damascus, wounding three people. The report said the blast Wednesday was caused by a bomb planted on a fuel truck. U.N. officials did not immediately comment, but none of the wounded are believed to be U.N. staff. The […]

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Report: Asia Cities Must ‘Go Green’ or Risk Disaster

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
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A new report by the Asian Development Bank is warning that Asia’s rapidly growing cities must “go green” in order to prevent disasters such as mass flooding and out-of-control pollution. The report says Asia, which is urbanizing at a faster rate than anywhere else, is already home to almost half of all the world’s city […]

Tags: , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Australian High Court Upholds Plain Cigarette Packaging

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 2:25 am (UTC-5)
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Australia’s highest court has ruled that new laws requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging without company logos do not violate the country’s constitution. The court on Wednesday ruled against four tobacco companies that challenged the law, saying the measure violated their intellectual property rights. The companies include British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, […]

Japan Ministers Visit Controversial War Shrine, Angering Neighbors

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 2:15 am (UTC-5)
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Two Japanese cabinet ministers have visited a controversial war shrine seen by many as a symbol of Tokyo’s imperialist past, in a move likely to anger neighboring China and South Korea. National Public Safety Commission Chairman Jin Matsubara and Land Minister Yuichiro Hata on Wednesday paid homage at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war […]

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Australian High Court Upholds Plain Cigarette Packaging

Posted August 15th, 2012 at 1:40 am (UTC-5)
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Australia’s highest court has ruled that new laws requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging without company logos do not violate the country’s constitution. The court on Tuesday ruled against four tobacco companies that challenged the law, saying the measure violated their intellectual property rights. The companies include British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, […]

US Testing Hypersonic Aircraft

Posted August 14th, 2012 at 9:20 pm (UTC-5)
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The U.S. military is testing an unmanned aircraft over the Pacific Ocean Tuesday it hopes will go six times the speed of sound. Edwards Air Force Base spokesman John Haire confirmed a B-52 plane took to the skies Tuesday with the experimental aircraft, but did not give any word on the status of the test […]

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Burma’s President Tells VOA He Will Open Schools for Rohingya

Posted August 14th, 2012 at 7:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Burmese President Thein Sein says his government will open schools to improve the education of minority Rohingya Muslims who accuse the majority Buddhist state of persecuting them. In an exclusive interview with VOA Burmese Service chief Than Lwin Htun, President Thein Sein said education is an important tool to help different communities live in harmony […]

Pentagon: Iran is Trying to Train Militia Within Syria

Posted August 14th, 2012 at 4:50 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Iran is trying to develop and train a militia in Syria to fight on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Panetta also said Tuesday he is confident the United States could enforce a no-fly zone over Syria, but that it was not a “front burner issue” . His […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East