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]

General roundup (February 1, 2009) from YeinJee's Asian Blog

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.

The Zimbabwean billionaires from YeinJee's Asian Blog