Thailand led the region into the financial crisis of 1997, when fears about the banks and foreign debt led to a collapse of the baht.

VOA: standard.2009.04.06

How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library into a meeting place and tourist attraction, inspire a classic American town, bring together an entire region and eventually become famous around the world?

VOA: special.2009.02.23

Journalists are not permitted into the region. But Ethiopian government spokesman Shimelis Kemal called the ONLF claims completely false.

VOA: standard.2009.11.16

In recent years, the purpose of the festival has evolved into raising scholarship money to help young musicians in the region.

VOA: standard.2010.08.02

On July 31 three young Americans, Shane Bauer,Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd were hiking in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq when they apparently strayed into Iran.

VOA: standard.2009.11.05

The reported advances near the Afghan border come a day after army officials took journalists into the region for the first time since the operation started in mid-October.

VOA: standard.2009.10.30

The LRA began intensifying civilian attacks in the DRC a year ago, but the group is now regularly crossing the border into neighboring Central African Republic and the Western Equatorial region of southern Sudan.

VOA: standard.2009.08.27

Former security chief of Pakistan's tribal regions, Mahmood Shah,says the military is better placed today to extend the Swat anti-insurgency offensive into other Taliban strongholds, like the Waziristan region on the Afghan border.

VOA: standard.2009.09.14

The government's outright rejection for a truce with Tamil Tiger rebels came a day after the European Union said the situation of civilians trapped in the war zone is dangerous and called for a cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid into the region.

VOA: standard.2009.03.17