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South Asia
IMF says Pakistan economy on track but inflation looms
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund said Saturday that Pakistan’s economic reform program remained broadly on track, but warned over rising inflation. Pakistan received a $6.7 billion IMF bailout package last year to help the country achieve economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector. “The IMF is encouraged by the…
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East Asia
Post Lee Kun-hee structure at Samsung?
How shall Samsung business group overcome the shock of Lee Kun-hee’s heart attack? Lee has been leading the Samsung group with his charismatic leadership until now. He has pushed the ‘Mach’ management and he has been the real leader of the group in every aspect of the conglomerate. However, his…
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West Asia
Graffiti in Jeddah, traditional Islamic city
A man walks by a graffiti on a wall in the old city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 9, 2014. Jeddah has been a traditional hub for commerce along the Red Sea and the port of entry for many Muslims traveling to Mecca to perform the religious obligations for…
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East Asia
Overall Review of Global Papers’ Editorials
For a couple of days I have read through several newspapers and checked what they editorialized about. Considering that the abduction of schoolgirls has been a hot topic over the world for several weeks, it was understandable that the New York Times touched on this issue. It is an issue…
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East Asia
Cynicism and alienation growing in North Korea
There are many signs that cynicism and alienation is steadily growing within North Korean society and, especially, lower reaches of its elite. People who recently had opportunities to talk frankly to North Koreans (and I do not mean refugees), including the present author, have noticed that North Koreans are increasingly…
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East Asia
Samsung, after Lee Kun-hee’s heart attack?
This event may precipitate the succession plan at Samsung After Lee Kun-hee’s sudden heart attack over the weekend, emerged the issue of succession plan at the Samsung business group again. It has become a matter of grave concern how Samsung’s succession plan will evolve. While business watchers guess that the…
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East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Crisis in Ukraine could be a harbinger of Taiwan’s future
The crisis in Ukraine has implications for Taiwan. Taiwan and Ukraine share similarities in relation to the big powers: Ukraine is torn between the European Union and Russia, and Taiwan between the United States and China. Russia’s latest intervention shows its keenness to reassert control over Ukraine. China has always…
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South East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Singapore named world’s most expensive city
Singapore is now ranked as the most expensive city in the world, according to a new survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that compares the cost of living between 131 cities using New York as a base city. A 40 percent currency appreciation over the last decade coupled with…
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South East Asia
[Asian Books] Southeast Asian Cartoon Art History, Trends and Problems
Southeast Asian Cartoon Art History, Trends and Problems Edited by John A. Lent | McFarland | 2014 John A. Lent brings together eight essays to provide the first overview of cartoon art in Southeast Asia. These essays provide both historical and modern observations of cartoons and comics in Indonesia, the…
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South Asia
India water scarcity
Indian women and children wait for a municipal water supply tanker to arrive in Ramol, outskirts of Ahmadabad, India, Sunday, May 11, 2014. As India faces certain water scarcity and ecological decline, the country’s main political parties campaigning for elections have all but ignored environmental issues seen as crucial to…
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