Asia

Gen. Martin Dempsey: 'The Future Of Syria Doesn't Run Through Assad'

8:50pm June 04, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block continues her conversation with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, who explains some of the challenges posed by Syria.

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Chinese Hackers Breach Government Personnel Office Computers

8:50pm June 04, 2015

by Brian Naylor

The federal government says hackers breached the computer system of the Office of Personnel Management in December. The personal data of 4 million federal employees may have been compromised.

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A student wearing a face mask stands in a public square in Seoul on June 3. More than 200 primary schools shut down as South Korea has struggled to contain an outbreak of the MERS virus.

MERS In South Korea Is Bad News But It's Not Yet Time To Panic

8:20pm June 04, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Fears that Middle East respiratory syndrome could sweep through the region seem to be overblown. But researchers say there's still a lot they don't know about the potentially fatal virus.

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A South Korean walks through a market in Seoul wearing a mask. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye scolded health officials over their "insufficient" response to an outbreak of the MERS virus.

South Koreans Mask Up In The Face Of MERS Scare

4:51pm June 04, 2015

by Elise Hu

The spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, virus has sent sales of surgical masks soaring. Do they really help?

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World News

Myanmar Allows Ship With Migrants To Dock In Rakhine State

2:47pm June 04, 2015

by Michael Sullivan

The ship with 700 migrants on board was allowed to dock after being kept at sea for several days. Those on board are believed to be economic migrants from Bangladesh and Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar.

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World News

China Tries To Put A More Positive Spin On Cruise Ship Sinking

2:40pm June 04, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

China's government is trying to control coverage of the sinking of a cruise ship in the Yangtze River. Dozens are confirmed dead and the number is expected to pass 400.

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A farmer in southwest Bangladesh holds ripe rice that can grow in saline water.

World News

Climate Change-Ready Rice Keeps Farmers' Fields Fertile

11:20am June 04, 2015

by Amy Yee

Climate change has made some soil in Bangladesh more salty, so many farmers have had to leave fields fallow. But what if there were rice varieties that could naturally tolerate the salty conditions?

A relative of passengers on board the Eastern Star cruise ship is comforted by a man along the Yangtze River's banks in Jianli, China. Relatives of people missing after the cruise ship capsized have gathered at the disaster site.

World News

Chinese Cruise Ship Death Toll Rises To 75

6:56am June 04, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Rescue teams have now cut holes through parts of the overturned ship's hull, but they've found no more survivors from the ship that carried more than 450 people.

Relatives await word of survivors from a cruise ship that capsized in the Yangtze River. The Eastern Star was carrying more than 450 people; only 14 have been rescued.

World News

Death Toll Up To 65 In China Boat Disaster; Government Orders Censorship

1:24am June 04, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Of the more than 450 people who were aboard the Eastern Star when it capsized in rough weather Monday, only 14 have reportedly been saved — but rescuers haven't given up hope of finding more alive.

Nestlé's Maggi instant noodles gained popularity in India as the snack of the middle class in the 1980s.

World News

Nestlé India In Hot Water Over Reports Of Excess Lead In Noodle Soup

3:44pm June 03, 2015

by Julie McCarthy

Sales of the popular instant soup, sold under the brand Maggi, have plunged since the food safety dispute erupted in India.