In Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, following a three-hour, bone-jarring drive from Pakistan, the flag of the Hezb-i-Islami guerilla force suddenly appeared in our truck’s headlights.

Yien, a fusion gukak or traditional Korean music group, is often called the ‘Girls’ Generation’ of gukak.

It is comprised of seven young women in their mid-20s—five performers plus an in-house director and producer, most of whom were at the same class at Gukak National High School.

From a distance, I saw a man with an Afro wig. I thought this was Phuket and everyone can be Bob Marley all they want. The moment I and my like-minded friend Bernadette and a Caucasian couple stepped out of the air-con van, Afro-man stood up from a bench along the pier waiting area, and gestured to another group of farangs (Thai slang for white people) sitting by his side, to get ready to leave.

Almost 70 years ago, a young boy by the name of Okad joined his parents and his community to worship at the home of Vientiane’s city pillar and the That Luang stupa.

Areeya Milintanapa, a 26-year-old transvestite, had hoped to undergo sexual reassignment surgery at a private clinic in Bangkok next year, but her plans have hit a setback— new regulations by the Medical Council of Thailand.

A neighbour to the countries that hug the Mekong River in Indochina, China has long had an interest in the region, but the United States has recently developed a growing interest in the nations as well.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s honeymoon may be coming to an end—particularly over the issue of leadership and the confusion in his government over the fate of American bases in Japan.

When Kuan Ruo Han came into our first sight, we smelled some graceful tastes from her. Despite her small build, through her speech it was not hard to see that this 12-year-old girl adheres to her mind and views.

LONDON, November 13, 2009 (AFP) - Worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases will be nine percent lower than they would have been in 2012 without the global economic downturn, British researchers said Friday.

GENEVA, November 13, 2009 (AFP) - A "catastrophic accumulation" of millions of tonnes of "e-waste" from computers, cellphones and television sets is fuelling a global pile of hazardous waste, an international body warned Friday.