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South East Asia
Penang floods: Human mistakes or nature’s fault?
The beautiful island of Penang, northwest of peninsular Malaysia, had become the focal point on October 21st when 11 workers were buried under a landslide that occurred at a housing project in Tanjung Bungah. The massive construction sites located on the slopes of hills and near the lower parts of…
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World
Why Do Dictators Kill Cartoonists?
Naji al-Ali was the most significant cartoonist in the Arab world; his works have been published in almost every publication of Arab media, but thirty years ago, he was gunned down on the streets of London—where he had fled to from Kuwait three years earlier upon receiving death threats. The…
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East Asia
Greetings for 6th anniversary of THE ASIAN from AJA family
ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS FROM NEELIMA MATHUR I joined AJA only in 2016 but it seems I have known the AJA family since forever. Such is the character of AJA pioneered by Sang-ki Lee, who carries its warmth with him continuously and tenaciously. Within a few years, the vision for an Asian…
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South East Asia
ASEAN, according to a Filipino Millennial
As a Grade 12 student taking up Humanities and Social Sciences, I believe its important to have a deeper and more critical understanding of what ASEAN is. I remember one of my teachers advising me that I should be able to give a “scholastic” answer in answering questions. But from…
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Culture
[Book Review] Two Moons, Two Realities
1Q84, Haruki Murakami, Shinchosa, Japan, 2009 (book 1 & 2), 2010 (book 3) Over 900 pages in length and published in two volumes (the first containing Books 1 and 2, the second, Book 3), 1Q84 is a novel written by world-renowned author Haruki Murakami. Set in 1984 Tokyo, 1Q84 vacillates…
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Culture
[Book Review] Agatha Christie, the Queen of the Crime
(Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie, Collins Crime Club, 1934) Set in the 1930s, Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel written by Agatha Christie featuring Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, a clever and private detective. Poirot is on the Orient Express but the train is caught in…
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East Asia
The Asian Century – Key Issues
Towards the end of October, the rumblings of Asia were resounding worldwide. The new AJA motto, “New Asia, New Dynamics” is more than proving to be relevant. Xi Jinping’s name has been written into the Chinese constitution while he is still in power. It includes a reference to his…
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South Asia
Behavioural Economics
The American behavioural economist Richard Thaler has deservedly won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences this year. According to the Royal Swedish Academy, his work has “built a bridge between economics and psychological analysis of individual decision making”. Thaler’s work in the rapidly expanding field of behavioural economics and the “Nudge…
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Western fast food loses glamour as consumption in China matures
Chinese people now prefer green, organic food to western fast food, a change of eating habits believed to be related to rising income and their pursuit for a healthier and better life. Thirty years ago, when KFC opened its first branch in Beijing, Chinese lined up to buy French fries…
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East Asia
China speeds up its pace towards innovation-driven country
China is hastening its march towards an innovation-driven country, with a recent report placing it 17th out of 40 major countries on the innovation capability index. The Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED)’s 2016-2017 national innovation index report shows that China tops the world in terms of…
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