Topic: East Asia
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2012's 'good news' stories
2012 saw jobs returning to the US, health concerns improve in historic numbers, and more.
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How the world is reacting to Obama's reelection
From China to Iran, President Obama's reelection elicited everything from celebration to doubt about his second-term agenda. Here are 11 responses:
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Obama vs. Romney 101: 4 ways they differ on China
China's rise has led President Obama to “pivot” his foreign policy toward Asia, hoping to enhance US power and expand its cooperation with China. Romney speaks more in terms of confronting a country whose interests often clash with those of the US.
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Diplomacy or military intervention in Syria? 7 opinions from around the globe.
After 15 months of violence in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad announced yesterday that the country was facing a full-on civil war, a conflict he would do everything in his power to win.This adds increased pressure to the ongoing international question du jour: Is the answer to Syria’s conflict diplomacy or military intervention? Or something else entirely? From Thailand to Jordan, here are some opinions around the globe.
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East Asia's top 5 island disputes
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US military chief in Beijing warns of North Korea 'miscalculation'
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey is in China looking for help on North Korea. Though Beijing indicated it was 'working on' it, there are a number of reasons why China might be reluctant to push the North too hard.
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The Monitor's View: Europe's ideals win a Serbia-Kosovo pact
An agreement approved Monday by Serbia and Kosovo will put an official end to 1990s genocidal conflict. It also serves as a model for ending other conflicts driven by ethnic, religious, and land disputes.
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China tests its borders again, this time in the mountains
India is alleging a Chinese border incursion in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, putting diplomatic pressure on an otherwise warming relationship between the two Asian giants.
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Rhino head heist: Half a million euros' worth stolen from Irish museum
The thieves are expected to try to sell the horns in Asia. Europol claimed in 2011 that most of Europe's illegal rhino trade was committed by a single 'ethnically-Irish organized criminal group.'
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Decoder Wire North Korea nuclear talks: Did John Kerry soften conditions? (+video)
North Korea nuclear talks are possible if the North gives up its nuclear program, Secretary of State John Kerry said this weekend. That's not new, but Kerry's tone has worried some analysts.
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Decoder Wire Why hasn't North Korea fired its Musudan missile yet?
Satellite imagery has detected the movement of several Musudan missiles toward the east coast of North Korea, and a test is widely expected. But April 15 is not likely to be the day. Here's why.
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Terrorism & Security Global defense spending dips for first time in 15 years
Defense budget cuts in the US and Europe were more than enough to offset an increase in spending by rising powers like Russia and China.
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North Korea nuclear missiles: How startling is Pentagon assessment? (+video)
A new Pentagon intelligence report claims that North Korea has the ability to make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a ballistic missile – not that it's been fully tested or is set to fire.
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Global News Blog Death penalty: Amnesty International says global decline in executions stalls (+video)
In 2012, four countries that had not used the death penalty in several years were on Amnesty International's list. Missing was China, which keeps its figures secret but is estimated to far outpace others in executions.
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The Monitor's View: A path to peace in land, resource disputes
A Taiwan-Japan agreement on fisheries near the Senkaku islands sets a model for China in avoiding dangerous moves on island claims.
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North Korea missile test: What's a Musudan? (+video)
If North Korea test-fires a Musudan, it could settle a debate within the expert community about the capabilities of the intermediate-range ballistic missile – or whether it exists at all.
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In Gear Ford Focus tops Toyota Corolla as world's most popular car
Ford Focus has overtaken its Japanese rival, the Toyota Corolla, at the top of the global sales charts. The company sold over one million units of its Ford focus last year.
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North Korean missiles: Could US shoot them down? (+video)
The Pentagon has been deploying more missile-defense ground batteries and ships to East Asia. Here's a rundown of the three-tiered system that the US could use to counter North Korean missiles.
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Are North Korea's nuclear weapons small enough to fit a ballistic missile?
North Korea claims to have made progress on miniaturized nuclear devices. Some experts credit that claim, but much of what North Korea can or can't do remains unknown.
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Why is North Korea's Kaesong industrial park closing?
The exceptional length of the shutdown so far could signal that inter-Korean relations have entered a new low.
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Decoder Wire Did North Korea secretly restart work on disabled nuclear reactor? (+video)
One of North Korea's more worrisome threats this week was to restart its plutonium production reactor at Yongbyon. Satellite photos suggest the rebuilding has already begun.
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If North Korea tests missile, might US shoot it down?
A North Korea missile test into the Sea of Japan now looks likely, say defense analysts, and the US Navy could 'probably intercept' it. But that may not be in the best interests of the US, some say.
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More species of sharks, rays to get protection
Representatives of 178 member countries of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora voted to put five more species of sharks and two species of manta rays under protection from overfishing.
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Global News Blog China pushes for Arctic foothold, from a thousand miles away
As global warming pushes back the Arctic Sea ice, uncovering new natural-resource deposits, China is looking to establish its presence in the north.
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Energy Voices North Korea threat is part of the geopolitical game
North Korea on Tuesday threatened to attack the US and South Korea with “lighter and smaller nukes”. The threats and recent tests of long-range rockets and nuclear weapons are not the result of bravado, rather of fear, Alic writes.
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US-Japan leaders discuss trade, China, and North Korea
President Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Friday. Major topics included Japan's joining a regional trade pact, North Korea's recent nuclear test, and a Japan-China territorial dispute.
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Focus
How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia'A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific.
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Energy Voices Mexican oil, Chinese drilling, Japanese nuclear: Energy trends to watch in 2013
Rogers offers five major energy trends that are likely to take shape and play out in international headlines in 2013.
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Opinion: North Korea threatens US – what about its own people?
As North Korea threatens the US, South Korea, and world peace with hints of a third nuclear test, what about its threat to its own people? It has one of the worst human rights records in the world. The UN must open a 'commission of inquiry' into crimes against humanity.
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Poaching crisis escalates with 'targeted, efficient' slaughter of 12 Kenya elephants
Kenya's largest elephant killing on record comes on the heels of a sevenfold increase in elephant killings since 2007, driven by soaring Asian demand for ivory.
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