1. CHINA
Days after PRC's first (unmanned)
Moon landing, Beijing says there's no evidence of
the Apollo missions; China claims the minerals-rich
satellite as 'sacred territory since ancient times'.
2. HONG KONG
Illegal structures found at
HK Housing Department, including a pool and
bar. Officials claim 'they were there when we
moved in' . . . then blame their wives.
3. USA
Frakkin' hell! Republicans back an Obama
programme to free the USA of Middle-East oil
over the next five years, as Democrats falter in the
face of heartland protests over hydraulic-fracturing.
4. JAPAN
Shinzo Abe's enlisting
of the year's Snake
to support his 'skinchanging'
reforms
falters amid claims
his medicine is snake
oil; debate shifts to
leopards and spots.
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5. SINGAPORE
Merlion's triumphal spray
repeatedly droops to a
trickle, despite backups.
With engineering experts
stumped, the government
calls in feng shui masters.
6. MALAYSIA
'Can-lah' gets the blahs as
mañana malaise seeps
back into what was a star
economy in 2012; 'Exhausting'
polls are blamed for what
locals call tidak apa-thy.
7. TAIWAN
Review of nuclear-plant
safety after a major
'incident' uncovers numerous oversights
and errors, and questions
adequacy of evacuation strategy.
8. PHILIPPINES
Western audiences get a taste
for 'Flippa flicks' - especially
1970-80s rom-com classics; gives
brief fillip to a local industry
that once rivalled Bollywood.
9. KOREA
Fast footwork sees Korea
again dodge
an MSCI
upgrade to "developed
market", protecting its
chaebol exporters from
likely resulting won appreciation.
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10. AUSTRALIA
Cursed with a hung parliament last
time when they couldn't choose the
better of two awfuls (Cinder-ranga vs
the Mad Monk), voters faced with the
same choice hang themselves instead.
11. INDONESIA
No slo-mo for the Komodo, thanks to
delicious demographics; despite
ever-widening corruption scandal,
rising
econ-nationalism and policy
polldrums.
12. THAILAND
Market's momentum surges and
slows much of the year, in reaction
to rolling rumours about the health
of a key figure -
and the return of ex-PM Thaksin.
13. INDIA
Scientists announce a breakthrough
in a process that can extract electricity
from rice crops ('the power plant you
can eat') without having to harvest;
plan to curry out further tests
for the best grain strain.
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