Asia

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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Democracy demonstrators wave the Burmese flag in August 1988, when millions of Burmese took to the streets. Students led the protests, but were soon joined by civil servants, police, soldiers and ordinary citizens.

World News

As Myanmar Opens Up, A Look Back On A 1988 Uprising

2:21pm August 09, 2013

by Radio Diaries

The country also known as Burma is emerging from decades of authoritarian rule. But 25 years ago, in the middle of that dark period, there were six weeks of hope. Demonstrations brought millions onto the streets until a harsh crackdown left thousands dead and landed thousands more in prison.

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World News

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Leaking 300 Tons Of Tainted Water Daily

6:56pm August 08, 2013

The Japanese government has announced that radioactive groundwater is leaking from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. To try and stop it, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which owns the plant, has proposed building an underground wall of frozen earth around the reactors. The ice wall is supposed to keep groundwater from flowing in and radioactive water from leaking out, but nobody knows for sure whether it will work.

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People cool off Wednesday in a pool in Shanghai, where temperatures reached an all-time record: 105.4 degrees.

'It's Too Hot': Shanghai Wilts In Record-Setting Heat Wave

6:41pm August 07, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

Usually bustling streets are nearly empty at noon, and thousands have gone to hospitals for relief. China's National Meteorological Center says the long-running heat wave is driven by a variety of factors, including climate change, as well as Shanghai's construction density, growing population and shrinking green space.

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World News

GM Looks To China To Boost Car Sales

6:06am August 06, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

General Motors set a July sales record in China. That country is already the most important auto market in the world. It could be where GM maintains global dominance.

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