The government’s caution arouses suspicions about what it knows
ALMOST as long as it has had people, Hong Kong has had booths selling squawking live chickens. They are treasured by locals who spurn frozen meat, finding it tasteless. But after the latest in a series of outbreaks of avian influenza, the government has offered HK$1 billion [...]

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‘LIKE THE APOCALYPSE’
The worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami has hit Burma, home to a despotic military regime. Despite a storm that locals claimed was “like the apocalypse,” the junta sought to complicate the arrival of any foreign aid out of mistrust of the West. By Jürgen Kremb and Thilo Thielke more…

Interactive Graphic: Cyclone [...]

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So far the threat of a global food crisis has not affected Australia, but there are worrying signs appearing in the United States where some worried locals are beginning to hoard supplies.
Two bulk US retailers are rationing some sales of imported rice and that’s been enough for some Americans to begin stocking up.
It has also [...]

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Growing Chinese presence in the Pacific islands unsettles locals and poses questions for the US
In recent decades, the South Pacific has been a friendly region for the US and its interests, including islands that sit on Asia’s doorstep. But the rise of China and its growing interest in the Pacific islands may be emerging as [...]

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