Looking back at Asia in 2013
As the year draws to a close, we take a look at important events that happened around Asia in the year 2013 - an eventful year for the continent.
Kim Jong Un's nuclear test
On February 12, multiple seismological stations measured earth tremors a kilometer underground in the northeast of North Korea. It was the country's third nuclear test after the ones in 2006 and 2009 and a clear provocation to the US. The incident was also condemned by the North's ally China.
Factory building collapse in Dhaka
On April 24, an eight-storey building housing a number of textile factories, shops and a bank collapsed, killing over 1,100 people and injuring 2,500 more. The owner of the building had it built without a permit. The collapse is among Bangladesh's most tragic industrial disasters. It prompted a heated debate and protests over working conditions for factory workers.
Political crisis and violence in Bangladesh
The South Asian country has been rocked by violent clashes between security forces and protesters; in December 2013, the number of casualties reached over 200. The demonstrations were sparked over issues concerning the upcoming elections as well as the war crimes tribunal, which handed down death sentences to former Jamaat-i-Islami leaders.
Historical election in Pakistan
In Pakistan's parliamentary elections in May, the conservative Muslim League of former and now incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif replaced the liberal Pakistan People's Party. It was the first regular and democratic transition of civilian power in the country's history. Sharif's election gave rise to hope of improving relations to India and economic progress.
New president, new Iran?
The moderate cleric Hassan Rohani won presidential elections in mid June, becoming the successor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose term had expired. Rohani's "charm diplomacy" has gone into fruition: at the end of November, an interim agreement was made to phase down the country's nuclear program and ease sanctions.
Death penalty for Indian rapists
On September 13, a court in New Delhi sentenced four men to death for attacking, raping and fatally brutalizing a 23-year-old student on a moving bus. She died of her injuries in hospital less than two weeks thereafter. The incident triggered widespread debate on the role of women in society.
Bo Xilai's case closed in China
At the end of September, the former star politician was found guilty of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power and sentenced to life in prison. Bo Xilai also had to give up his assets - worth millions of dollars. The former member of the Politburo had a good chance of rising up in the ranks of party leadership, before his fall from grace in March 2012.
Handover of Kunduz
German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière and Foreign Secretary Guido Westerwelle transferred the Bundeswehr camp in Kunduz to Afghan forces on October 6. The Bundeswehr will remain in northern Afghanistan at its main headquarters in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Typhoon Haiyan
With winds of up to 380 kph, the category 5 super Typhoon Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, ravished large parts of the Philippines on November 8. Over 5,000 people died as a result tens of thousands were injured and around four million people became homeless. Haiyan was the strongest cyclone ever recorded to hit the country.
Protests in Thailand
Week-long protests against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of the ousted and exiled Thaksin Shinawatra, reach their apex on November 25, with demonstrators storming the central government building in the capital, Bangkok. Her opponents accuse her of corruption; she responded by dissolving parliament and announcing new elections. The situation, nonetheless, remains tense.
Outer space race
On November 4, India launched its first orbiter to Mars. It is expected to reach the Red Planet in September 2014. So far, only the US, the former Soviet Union and Europe have sent missions to Mars. China also made advances on the "Final Frontier" by landing the ship "Jade Rabbit" on the moon on December 14, becoming the third country to make it to the moon.
China reform plans
The long-awaited Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened mid November to pen an agenda for reform for the next decade. Among them are plans to open up the economy more to private and foreign capital, granting local courts more autonomy from the party. Amnesty International has voiced doubt over the announcement China would get rid of its labor camps.
Dispute in East China Sea
In an attempt to strengthen territorial claims in the East China Sea, Beijing announced an air defense zone over the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan but claimed by China under the name Diaoyu. The US reacted swiftly by flying unarmed bombers through the zone. Japan and South Korea followed suit.
Ongoing trouble in Fukushima
Two years after the nuclear disaster at the Daiichi power plant in Japan's Fukushima prefecture, operator has not been able to contain the situation. In 2013, there were a number of different reports about elevated radiation levels and leaky storage tanks. At the end of November began the long and difficult process of removing around 1,500 from the holding basin of a damaged reactor building.
Kim executes top cadre/uncle
At the beginning of December, North Korea's young leader ordered the execution of his uncle and mentor Jang Song Thaek after forcing him to resign from his political offices. Among "womanizing" and "excessive alcohol consumption," Jang is said to have "planned to overthrow the state." According to South Korean sources, Kim Jong Un so far has replaced around half of the party's top cadres.