Asia

Regulators Monitor 'Serious Leaks' At Japanese Nuclear Plant

7:25am August 23, 2013

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is back in the news — more than two years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of meltdowns. New leaks found this week prompted regulators to consider raising the alert level.

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World News

Former Chinese Politician Has Spirited Defense At Trial

5:08pm August 22, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

The former politician Bo Xilai offered a spirited defense in court in China on Thursday, surprising observers who had expected a quick show trial to end the country's biggest political scandal in decades. However Bo was allowed to cross-examine witnesses and tell judges he had been framed in the bribery charges against him. He said he had confessed to the charges under psychological pressure during interrogation.

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South Korean police stand guard beside a comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul in May. The Southern California city of Glendale will dedicate an identical statue on Tuesday.

Statue Brings Friction Over WWII Comfort Women To California

2:24pm August 22, 2013

by Aaron Schrank

A sculpture memorializing the East Asian women forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II is causing a stir in Glendale, Calif. An identical statue in Seoul has become a focal point of tension among former "comfort women" and some Japanese who say the women's stories are untrue.

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Airline Offers Upgrade To Sit In Child-Free Zone

12:43pm August 22, 2013

If you board a plane excited for your trip but dreading the possibility of a baby crying, this news is for you. The budget arm of Singapore Airlines — called Scoot — is offering a $14 upgrade to sit in a child-free zone — no one under 12 allowed.

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U.S. Retailers Vow To Upgrade Bangladesh's Safety Standards

12:03pm August 21, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

A group of 20 companies, meeting in Chicago Tuesday, announced steps to implement a safety plan for factories in Bangladesh. The companies, including Wal-Mart, Costco and Gap, formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which promises to have fire and building safety standards in place by mid-September.

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Mingma Tshering helps care for his nephew, whose father died on Everest in 2006. Mingma worked on Everest for the first time this past spring.

World News

On Mount Everest, Sherpa Guides Bear The Brunt Of The Danger

1:46pm August 20, 2013

Sherpa guides are 10 times more likely to die than commercial fishermen, the most dangerous, nonmilitary occupation in the U.S. But they're offered little financial protection by companies who charge Western climbers thousands of dollars for a trip up the mountain.

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World News

Pakistan's Former Leader Musharraf Charged In Bhutto's Death

5:55am August 20, 2013

A Pakistani court Tuesday indicted former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf on murder charges in connection with the 2007 assassination of Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. For more on this development, Renee Montagne talks to Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana, who's in Islamabad.

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World News

U.S. Family Of Ill Prisoner Wants North Korea To Release Him

6:52am August 19, 2013

by Liz Jones

American citizen Kenneth Bae has spent nearly 10 months imprisoned in North Korea. That's longer than any other American held there in recent years. Bae was recently moved to a hospital for ailments related to diabetes, an enlarged heart and liver problems. Bae's family says the situation is more urgent than ever.

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World News

Rescuers In India Try To Reach Sailors Trapped In Submarine

9:16am August 14, 2013

Eighteen sailors are feared trapped in a submarine that caught fire after a massive explosion in Mumbai. The smoldering ship is in its berth at a highly secured naval base, with only a portion visible above the surface. This incident comes as a setback for India, just as the country is trying to beef up its military.

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Too Much, Too Fast: China Sees Backlash From Massive Growth

11:25am August 12, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

Years of rapid industrial expansion have left many parts of China contending with thick smog and dirty water. The move comes at a time when China is trying to shift away from the investment-led economic model that has generated such dizzying growth in recent years, but the global economic downturn has made the transition a lot more challenging.

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