YeinJee's Asian Journal

Some general news and info from various sources…

Australia – Rafael Nadal won first Australian Open crown, defeating Roger Federer [ATP]

China – Birth defects soar due to environmental pollution; a baby is born with physical defects every 30 secs in China [Chinadaily]

Enviromental – Many effects of climate change are irreversible [BBC]

Iraq – A fibreglass-and-copper monument (pic) is built in honour of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush during a news conference [Youtube]

Japan – PM Taro Aso has announced a 1.5 trillion yen (USD17bn) aid package to help Asian countries weather the economic downturn [BBC]

North Korea – North Korea is scrapping all pacts with South Korea and warned that the downward relations has pushed the peninsula to the brink of war [Reuters]

South Korea – Asiana Airlines, Korea’s second-largest air carrier, is named Airline of the Year by ATW (Air Transport World) magazine [ATW]

Thailand – Deja vu… tens of thousands of protesters held a rally in Bangkok calling on the new Thai government to resign [Youtube]

The Zimbabwean Central Bank has introduced a new Z$500,000,000 bank note on May 15 in a bid to tackle cash shortages because of the rampant inflation.

That’s half-a-billion Zimbabwean dollars bank note, which sadly converts to only about USD2… being a billionaire in Zimbabwe means nothing much at all.

Z$100-million bank note released in early May (Image from Xinhuanet)

Zimbabwe is facing hyperinflation since 2004, with their annual inflation rate skyrocketing to 165,000% in February 2008… by far the highest in the world (2nd placed Iraq has an estimated inflation of 60%).

You can read more about the history of the Zimbabwean dollars via Wikipedia, but be prepared to be bombarded by all the extravagant numbers.