Under-use of consultants
An acquaintance of mine, undergoing a divorce, returned from a meeting with his Korean counsel looking frustrated. Apparently, he had been advised by a third party of a critical fact, which his lawyer had not mentioned. When my friend asked why not, the lawyer replied: “Oh! You did not ask me about that specific point.” […]
WTO asks Bangladesh to diversify export
Dhaka University students burn Lamy’s effigy on the campus to protest his presence in the convocation ceremony on March 31, 2012 (Photo: Abdur Rahman Khan) DHAKA, Bangladesh –The WTO director general Pascal Lamy has suggested Bangladesh to address non-tariff barriers for boosting the country’s trade besides diversifying its export basket. Addressing a discussion meeting on […]
Asia-Pacific nations lean to green energy instead of nuclear
The region should follow the Philippines’ lead and focus on renewable, not nuclear power. A year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, questions remain over the role of nuclear power in the developing world, including South-East Asia and the Pacific. Nuclear power had a renaissance, driven by rapidly growing energy demands, and fading memories of high-profile […]
Focus more on quality
Quantitative growth is not boon to people The nation’s per-capita gross national income (GNI) hit an all-time high of $22,489 last year. However, individuals can hardly feel happy with the figure as their living standard is not improving. What’s wrong with it? Is it a statistical error or a structural economic flaw? The nominal GNI […]
Proactive measures needed against disasters
In the closing months of 2011, flash floods caused by the wayward Pacific typhoon, Washi, swept some 1,500 people to their deaths overnight and left at least 2,000 missing in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Typhoons strike Mindanao very rarely, every 40 years or so. But when it hit Mindanao this time, it lashed […]
Climate change causes water shortage in Pakistan
Two years of deluge and prolonged winter have caused water shortage in Pakistan The authorities of Southern Sindh province of Pakistan informed the agriculture community a few days back that there would be acute shortage of water in the coming days in the country in general and the province in particular being lower-riparian. In view […]
What we learnt from Fukushima
A Japanese nuclear engineering on a speaking tour of several Asian capitals to clear the cloud of controversy over the Fukushima accident was thrown this double-sided question: What is the cost to Japan of using nuclear energy and of not using it? It is a question that could apply equally to many other countries […]
NK will launch ‘satellite’ despite sanction threat
In this March 20, 2012 file satellite image taken and provided by GeoEye, a satellite launch pad in Tongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea, is shown. <File photo: AP/Newsis> So, it seems to be fairly certain: in near future North Korea will launch what they describe as a “satellite” and what the outside […]
China: Rebalancing or end of miracle?
High-rise buildings in the central business district are seen in the backdrop in Beijing, China. China lowers growth target to 7.5%. What does it say about the economy? China’s downgrade of its 2012 real GDP growth forecast to 7.5 percent from 8 percent, the target for the previous eight years, has increased global growth anxiety […]
The Nuclear Dinner!
What could the chef prepare for the ‘Nuclear Dinner’ in Seoul Nuclear Security Summit? The menu should mention the precautions to “have” some content or another of the vast choices available. The table must be operated with nuclear power, to distribute the amounts of uranium dishes with justice. The chairs would have to be parts […]
![[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯](http://www.theasian.asia/wp-content/themes/city-desk/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theasian.asia%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FAshraf-2novel-news_9601.jpg&q=90&w=300&h=0&zc=1 "[Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑯")
