2005.01.24

DPRK slashes food rations. [BBC News] Impoverished North Korea cuts food handouts to just half what the World Food Program recommends. 2005.01.24

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Fireworks accident injures Universal Studios Japan dancer [Mainichi Shimbun] Yet another accident at the seemingly cursed American entertainment park in Osaka. 2005.01.24

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7,500 dead or lost, India toils to rebuild tsunami-devoured paradise (AFP). Despite a massive rebuilding plan for the Andaman and Nicobar islands devastated by tsunamis last month it may take years before tourists return in large numbers. 2005.01.24

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Japan-Homeless (Kyodo) Japan tidies up by ridding parks of homeless so that foreign tourists visiting the upcoming Aichi World Expo won't see them. 2005.01.24

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DPRK-Defectors (AP) More North Korean asylum seekers rush into Japanese school in Beijing and are given refuse at the Embassy. 2005.01.24

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Strong Earthquake Shakes Indonesia's Sulawesi (Reuters).  UPDATED A large earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island early today, damaging some buildings. 2005.01.24

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Japan-Xenophobia (Kyodo) Signs of an aging libido: Japan plans to replace Filipina bar girls with a much smaller number of Filipina nurses. 2005.01.24

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DPRK-Nukes [Korea Herald] North Korea says it possesses nuclear weapons. 2005.01.24

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Martin wraps up 9-day mission to Asia parrying questions about why he went (CP). Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's weeklong visit to four countries and six cities in Asia is bookended by a central question: Why was he here? 2005.01.24

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Japan-Imperials (AFP) Japan mulling adopt-an-emperor scheme. 2005.01.24

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