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South East Asia
Inexorably approaching the retirement milestone
By Nasir Yousoff Contributor to AsiaN Kuala Lumpur: After serving this great organisation for some 37 years, 451 months and 13,505 days, the remaining 140 plus days before going into retirement seem so short, so negligible. Minus some 70 days of accumulated leave that I have to finish before retiring,…
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Poaching accelerating extinction of protected species
By Ravindran Raman Kutty Communications practitioner (Malaysia) Kuala Lumpur: “An endangered pygmy elephant was found dead in Sabah. It had been shot 70 times and its tusks were hacked off during a brutal attack by poachers…” This was the first thing I heard when I switched on the radio one…
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Politics
U.S. underscores commitment to Indo-Pacific region after RCEP deal
Washington: The United States has underscored its commitment to free trade with the Indo-Pacific region after a bloc of nations led by China struck a major trade deal without U.S. participation. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free trade agreement, was announced earlier Monday by the 10 member…
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Politics
South Korea’s president revs up ASEAN diplomacy, breaks ice with Abe
Bangkok: Attending ASEAN-hosted summits here this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in had multiple goals — from drumming up support for the dormant Korea peace process to reaching out to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He also placed a focus on drawing more attention to an upcoming ASEAN-South Korea commemorative…
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Politics
Kuwait’s Al Hajraf to be named new Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General
By Habib Toumi Manama: Kuwait’s finance minister Nayef Al Hajraf will be the next Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), reports in Kuwait said on Monday evening. The position rotates among the member states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Oman…
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Culture
Singapore academic freedom vs political control
By Ivan Lim Contributor to AsiaN Singapore: A liberal arts course on Dissent and Resistance for new undergraduates proved to be more than an academic exercise in Singapore’s jealously contested political space. A Yale-National University of Singapore College (YNC) project was pulled from the Learning Across Boundaries programme because it…
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Entertainment
V4 countries launch Gulf charm offensive to promote tourism
Manama: The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have launched a charm offensive to attract tourists from Gulf countries. Known as ‘Visegrad Group’ (V4), a cultural and political alliance between The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the four countries have joined forces to promote tourism to the four Central…
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South Asia
Pakistan closes Kabul embassy following harassment of diplomats
By Nasir Aijaz AsiaN Representative Islamabad: Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul will remain closed from today (Monday) for an indefinite period due to the harassment of Pakistani diplomats in Afghanistan’s capital. “Due to security reasons, Consular Section of the Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul will be closed from tomorrow Monday, 4th November,…
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Culture
Malaysia’s Queen plans to bring handicrafts made by inmates to ASEAN Symposium
Kajang: Malaysia’s Queen Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah said she planned to take handicrafts produced by inmates to the seventh ASEAN Traditional Textile Symposium, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The queen expressed her wish in front of about 2,000 inmates at the Kajang Prison during the 2019 Malaysian National Choir Concert, Malaysia’s…
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Culture
GOT7 is ‘flattered, nervous’ ahead of sexy concept album’s release
Seoul: Returning to the K-pop scene in the depth of autumn on Monday, K-pop boy band GOT7 is “flattered and nervous” about the release of “Call My Name,” a rare sexy concept album for the dance group. The six-track album is due to hit major online music stores Monday evening,…
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