Ire among some in Singapore over Sri Lankan Terminator’s stay
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The unexpected arrival in Singapore of former Sri Lankan strongman Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, on July 1, has caused anger among some people in the Republic and raised inconvenient questions for the authorities here. Critics, overlooking the fact that he tendered his resignation the following day, […]
Celebrating the 1100th Anniversary of Ahmed Ibn Fadlan’s Travel to Tatarstan
By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid President, Asia Journalists Association ALEXANDRIA: On July 14, the Media Club had its monthly forum in the Russian House of Alexandria on the topic: “1100 years since the arrival of the mission of the traveler Ibn Fadlan to Tatarstan”. The event was attended by Mr. Pavel Kydysyuk (Павел Кидисюк) Director of the […]
Shinzo Abe’s murder raises troubling questions
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The tragic untimely death of Shinzo Abe at the hands of an assassin has raised some troubling questions. One: Is there a shortcoming that in a robust democracy like Japan citizens still have to resort toviolence to resolve their grievances against politicians? The former Japanese […]
Safety Waves versus Death Waves
A keynote speech at the 60th African literature and writers’ anniversary conference By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid IBADAN, NIGERIA: In our time, we live in more than one circle; circles that narrow and widen, touch, overlap and intersect, and sometimes even resist each other, and contradict with other circles. They are circles described as private and public, […]
Pakistan: Uncertain Past, Uncertain Future
By Nasir Aijaz The AsiaN Representative ISLAMABAD: “Pakistan is passing through critical times’ and we have to take tough decisions to steer the country out of crisis” – this is what almost all the successive civil and military rulers used to say after coming into power, for over seven decades since creation of new Muslim […]
Flak and some praise for Singapore Press Club’s Hall of Fame
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: An initiative by the Singapore Press Club in setting up a Hall of Fame for media personalities has received some praise, but the flak it drew was unhesitating because of its noticeably exclusive approach in choosing candidates. Fifty people made the inaugural list, drawn from […]
The Burana Tower: A fascinating history of grandeur in Kyrgyzstan
By Habib Toumi BISHKEK: In the interpretation of dreams, climbing spiral stairs is a sign that you are on the right path to spiritual growth and that good things that are coming your way. That hopeful interpretation may be great, but right now I am in a dark place, trying to climb incredibly steep stairs […]
Once upon a time in Aceh – Notes on the release of hostages
By Eddy Suprapto, Chairman Alliance of independent journalists 2003-2005 Editor in Chief RCTI 2014-2016 JAKARTA: Post-reform, there are a number of things in the political field that deserve an important note. Some of them were about the removal of Abdurrahman Wahid by the House of Representatives. (DPR) who was later replaced by his deputy, Megawati […]
Midnight Parliamentary Revolt in Pakistan: Imran Khan ousted from Premiership
During the history making session (Twitter) By Nasir Aijaz The AsiaN Representative Islamabad: Imran Khan was ousted from premiership of Pakistan through a ‘Midnight Parliamentary Revolt’ – the no-confidence motion tabled in the National Assembly at the night between Saturday and Sunday. The assembly session was presided over by Mr. Ayaz Sadiq, a member of […]
Upshot of the July 11, 2020 General Election in Singapore
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: In 2020, politics in Singapore threw up some surprises. Despite misgivings, the government went ahead, in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, to hold a general election in which conventional door-to-door campaigning and open-air party rallies had to be replaced by TV broadcasts and online debates […]