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The wreckage of the North Korea's rocket held at the naval base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Dec. 13, 2012. (Yeong-Wook/DongA Daily/Getty Images)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime conducted two rocket tests in 2012: one failed miserably and the other was deemed a success, sending a satellite into orbit. In the prior rocket launches, North Korea has usually followed up with a nuclear test. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace associate James Schoff told AFP last week that the launch “bolsters their credibility” and as a result, the rest of the world has to take them seriously. The capability to launch the rocket indicates an increased ability to target long-range missiles.
In 2013, Japan’s elderly (aged 65 or older) are expected to comprise 25 percent of its population. Life expectancy in Japan is the longest in the world—80 for men and 86 for women. The aging population will have a great impact on Japanese society and its economy. In Japan, the elderly receive a pension and are guaranteed insurance. The large number of nonworking adults could hamper Japan’s economic expansion.
Protesters rally against Australia's carbon tax in Syndey on July 1, 2012 the day the tax was introduced. (Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images)
Australia imposed a carbon tax in July that charges corporate polluters more than twice as much as the European Union’s carbon tax. In Australia, businesses must pay around $23 (US$24) per ton of carbon emissions; in Europe, the price is about 8 euros (US$11). If opposition leader Tony Abbott becomes prime minister in Australia’s federal election next year, he has promised to scrap the carbon tax. Prime Minister Julia Gillard estimated the tax would produce an effect over the next decade equal to taking 45 million cars off the road.
In 2012, scores more Tibetans set themselves on fire to protest the harsh rule by the Chinese Communist Party. Since February 2009, at least 94 Tibetans have set themselves alight, but most of those incidents took place mid-to-late 2012. The Chinese regime responded by passing new laws against immolators and increasing security in Tibetan areas.
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