Country Well Governed/ Country Badly Governed: "In a country well governed poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed wealth is something to be ashamed of." Confucius

PASTICHE:

a compelling compendium

CHINA


China’s emerging institutional statecraft The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the prospects for counter-hegemony

China Hacked South Korea Over Missile Defense, U.S. Firm Says

China bans names like "Muhammad" in Xinjiang region

China’s first cargo spacecraft docks with orbiting lab

What’D XI say?

NORTH KOREA


Top commander: Don't bet on China reining in North Korea

Top admiral: North Korea crisis is 'worst I've seen'

North Korea: Washington and Seoul pledge 'swift punitive measures'

Top commander in Pacific: US needs to strengthen missile defense

UN Security Council to confer on North Korea nuclear program

Unraveling the personality cult of Kim Jong-Un

North Korea test-fires ballistic missile: Yonhap

N Korea stages artillery drill as US submarine docks in South

SOUTH KOREA

Politics Trump: ‘We may terminate’ U.S.-South Korea trade agreement

U.S. moves THAAD anti-missile to S.Korean site, sparking protests

Trump’s Korea-China remark starts furor

Plans for electric-powered buses pick up steam

South Korea, allies brace for North Korea follow-up act

FRANCE


Russian Hackers Who Targeted Clinton Appear to Attack France’s Macron

The Real Lessons of the French Election

The Republic Will Stand

Macron’s strong finish in the French election shows populist wave may be ebbing

Is there a “Muslim vote” in France?

French Jews ‘Concerned’ Over Le Pen Success In France Vote

Emmanuel Macron v Marine Le Pen: who are they and what are their policies?

France Throws the Bums Out and Votes for a New Political Reality

Experts say automated accounts sharing fake news ahead of French election

THE PHILLIPINES


Duterte accused of mass murder in international court

6.8-magnitude quake off the Philippines: USGS

DOLE studying wage hike for ‘kasambahay’

Farmers group seeks Duterte’s intervention

ASG beheads soldier, loses 3

Muslim center in Manila eyed

PH to boost aggie trade with Sweden

World Bank sees 6.9% Ph growth

Code of Conduct rather than court ruling OPINION

AFGHANISTAN


KILLED IN ACTION Two US troops are killed in Afghanistan during raid against ISIS

Afghan defence minister, army chief quit over attack

Defense chief, top general: US needs to confront Russia in Afghanistan

Russia is sending weapons to Taliban, top U.S. general confirms

U.S. defense chief arrives in Kabul as his Afghan counterpart resigns in disgrace

Four steps to winning peace in Afghanistan OPINION

PAKISTAN


Islamabad, Kabul to jointly wipe out terrorism

Panama verdict: LHCBA demands PM to quit in a week

Surviving at bare minimum

Down the drain

How to Islamize an Islamic Republic: Jamaat-e-Islami in its own words

VENEZUELA


As the poor join protests, Venezuela may be hitting a turning point

Venezuela says it will quit Organization of American States

Venezuela opposition leader denounces 'savage repression'

Venezuela says Movistar sent mass messages calling for protests

Venezuela protesters try to keep momentum

10 things you should know about the current crisis in Venezuela

Venezuela's death spiral of recession, protest and repression OPINION

MALAYSIA


Economy on track for 4.5-4.8% growth in 2017: Bank Negara

Bahrain's King Hamad set for historic visit to Malaysia this Sunday

Muhibbah Engineering, Weida, UMW Oil & Gas, DNeX, Prestar, SCGM, KBES, SMIS Corp, MAHB, Digi, Caring Pharmacy, IOI Corp, AirAsia X, FGV and Goodway Integrated

TiGrESS project to study employability of graduates

Shocking Case Shows What Najib Ought Really Be Doing About Religious Schools...

NEPAL


PM says vote counting, budget possible after local level elections

Nepal-India ties will strengthen further: President Bhandari

Economy to grow by nearly 7pc this fiscal

Two Years After the Devastating Earthquake, Nepal's Women Have Become Easy Prey for Traffickers

BANKING

World Bank report: Pemandu biggest government ‘delivery unit’ globally

Doha Bank knowledge session dwells on GCC, global economic trends

Worries over Trump policies cloud start of IMF, World Bank meetings

IMF executive board discusses loss of correspondent banking relationships

CDB to discuss regional productivity, tourism industry reform at annual meeting

ENERGY

Draft House bill ignites new Yucca Mountain fight

Australia to restrict gas exports as energy crisis bites

Energy markets to remain key to shaping global economies: Al-Sada

Oil dives, sending U.S. crude below $50 for first time in two weeks

Oil falls after failed North Korean missile, US rig count gains

SCIENCE


6 Science-Backed Sleep Remedies

Watch the weird aerodynamics behind mosquito flight

Watch this badger bury an entire cow

Weather forecasting bill clears Senate hurdle

There’s a strange tree-killer on the loose in the Amazon: logjams

BOOKS



Inferno: A Doctor's Ebola Story NONFICTION

The Nightingale FICTION

By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783 (A Nancy Bernkopf Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Book on American–East Asian Relations) NONFICTION

Walkaway FICTION

The Rise of the Creative Class: Revisited NONFICTION

Finding Gideon FICTION

YOU DECIDE



Doing Something Creative Can Boost Your Well-Being

Bugs for dinner? Aussie food trend grows legs

Kuwait expels drug-addicted monkey to his home in Indonesia

Trike driver attacks Manila parking bureau man

Someone just bought a 19-year old chicken nugget dip on eBay and it cost him $14,700

World’s last male rhino getting help from Tinder dating app

WHIMSEY


How to Tell a Raven From a Crow

National Geographic Daily Dozen Photos

Paddling With a Passport From the U.S. to Mexico

The Franklin Expedition

WORDS MATTER


"All that we have seen so far is uncoordinated demonstration of force similar to the Mother of All Bombs blast in Afghanistan. If this is a signal for IS, it will apparently have no effect. If not, a reasonable question arises: whom was it sent to and why?" Naryshkin [Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service] added.

NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you.