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What Does N. Korea, 'The Impossible State,' Want?

North Korea is the most secretive country in the world: mysterious and menacing in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Victor Cha, a former member of the National Security Council, has a new book, The Impossible State: North Korea, Past And Future. Host Scott Simon talks with Cha about this week's events on the Korean Peninsula.

What Does N. Korea, 'The Impossible State,' Want?

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Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

A man holds a portrait of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally for a candidate of her National League for Democracy party on Friday. The country is holding elections for some parliamentary seats on Sunday. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

As Sunday's election approaches, there's a flurry of activity in Myanmar. People from all over the world have come in search of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy. The chaotic environment is a reminder of how far the party has to go to be ready for the political prime time.

Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

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Apple, Foxconn To Improve Factory Conditions

Apple and its China-based supplier Foxconn have agreed to limit worker overtime and significantly improve health and safety conditions at the plants that produce, among other products, the iPhone and iPad. The move comes after an investigation by the Fair Labor Association found Foxconn factories violate numerous Chinese work rules.

Apple, Foxconn To Improve Factory Conditions

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Myanmar's Election Seen As A Test Of Reforms

Myanmar opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to supporters on Saturday. Voting in parliamentary elections this Sunday is considered a test of the political reforms that Myanmar's rulers have introduced over the past year. Khin Maung Win/AP hide caption

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Khin Maung Win/AP

Myanmar's Election Seen As A Test Of Reforms

After a half-century, Myanmar's military rulers have been easing their grip on power just a bit. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her party are campaigning for the parliamentary seats at stake in Sunday's ballot.

Myanmar's Election Seen As A Test Of Reforms

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'Escape From Camp 14': Inside North Korea's Gulag

Author Interviews

'Escape From Camp 14': Inside North Korea's Gulag

Shin Dong-hyuk is the only person known to have been born in North Korea's prison camps and gotten out alive. Journalist Blaine Harden tells the story of Shin's daring escape.

'Escape From Camp 14': Inside North Korea's Gulag

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Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued

A volunteer feeds one of the dogs rescued from slaughter last December in a stand-off between animal rights activists and dog-meat sellers in central China. Such rescues have been taking place with some regularity in China. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

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Frank Langfitt/NPR

Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued

The Chinese have a long tradition of eating dogs. But increasingly, dogs are becoming pets. And animal rescue groups have taken to saving truckloads of dogs on the side of the road before they reach the butcher's shop.

Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued

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Abuse Claims Follow Mafia Crackdown In Chinese City

Lawyer Li Zhuang spent more than a year in prison on charges of fabricating evidence and inciting witnesses, after trying to defend an alleged gangster. Li's case became a national cause celebre. Louisa Lim/NPR hide caption

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Louisa Lim/NPR

Abuse Claims Follow Mafia Crackdown In Chinese City

The downfall of ambitious politician Bo Xilai exposed a bitter, high-level political power struggle in China. Now, victims of his crackdown on organized crime are breaking their silence, with stories of torture and disregard for the law that reveal the campaign's dark side.

Abuse Claims Follow Mafia Crackdown In Chinese City

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21st Century Vietnam Leaves War In The Past

Hanoi, Hue, Danang and Saigon, were city names that were stamped on the American psyche a half-century ago, when the U.S. waged war in Vietnam. The once war-torn, Southeast Asian nation has made great strides to leave its troubled past behind.

21st Century Vietnam Leaves War In The Past

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Obama Praises Global Nuclear Summit

More than 50 international leaders wrapped up talks Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, on what needs to be done to secure vulnerable stockpiles of plutonium and highly enriched uranium. President Obama hosted the first such summit two years ago. He praised the achievements since then, but said much more needs to be done.

Obama Praises Global Nuclear Summit

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World

Report Examines Effort To Secure Loose Nukes

President Obama and other world leaders are meeting in South Korea to discuss the problem of insecure nuclear material. Matthew Bunn, co-author of a new report on loose nukes and an associate professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, offers his insight.

Report Examines Effort To Secure Loose Nukes

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Obama Asks China To Help Halt N. Korean Rocket

President Obama greets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the start of their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. The U.S. president asked the Chinese leader to use his influence with North Korean to discourage that country from launching a rocket next month. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Obama Asks China To Help Halt N. Korean Rocket

The U.S. recently agreed to provide North Korea with food assistance, and it was hoped that this would help calm tensions in the region. But under its new leader, North Korea is now planning a rocket launch next month that's making everyone uneasy.

Obama Asks China To Help Halt N. Korean Rocket

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Environment

Cherry Blossoms As Botanical Diplomacy

Spring has sprung and thousands of tourists are flocking to the nation's capital for the annual Cherry Blossom festival. But there is a rich story behind the famous tree that connects the United States to Japan. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with Adrian Higgins about his feature article "Hidden Zen" in this week's Washington Post Magazine.

Cherry Blossoms As Botanical Diplomacy

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Business

Businessman Chosen As Hong Kong's Next Leader

A selection committee in Hong Kong has chosen a former Cabinet chief as the southern Chinese financial hubs next leader. The voters were handpicked by Beijing. Leung Chun-ying's term will start in July.

Businessman Chosen As Hong Kong's Next Leader

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Global Nuclear Summit Opens In South Korea

In Seoul, South Korea, Monday, President Obama attends a conference on improving nuclear security. Although the question of North Korea's nuclear weapons is not on the formal agenda, it is expected to be a major issue in the bilateral talks Obama will have with other leaders.

Global Nuclear Summit Opens In South Korea

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