• East Asia

    ‘Reurbanist’ launches grassroots “Seoul Plaza Proposal”

    Seoul, South Korea – October 1, 2014 – Reurbanist, an urban planning and retail development consultancy, has launched a grassroots place-making campaign, Seoul Plaza Proposal, in a bid to help Seoul citizens determine the future of Seoul Plaza. The plaza is a large, underutilized public space adjacent to the Seoul…

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  • East Asia

    Pyongyang, from “Revolutionary Capital” to “Carnal City”

    By Joel Lee Neon-lit, high-rise apartments smack in the middle of the city center. Light-industrial factories inside apartment complexes. A chessboard of a vast, empty square in downtown. Urban greenery of grass and park. Murals of blue and red resembling a fighting scene of a cartoon. These rare images, only…

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  • South Asia

    Wildlife trafficking from Pakistan ranks 3rd after arms and narcotics

    Illegal wildlife trade from Pakistan to different countries of the world has registered surge since 1995, and now is considered third highest after the smuggling of narcotics and weapons. The gangs involved in illegal trade of wildlife have vast network spread from local to international level. The different wildlife animals…

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  • East Asia

    Marshal Kim Jong-un, what if he dies?

    Marshal Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea, in person was last seen in public on 3rd September attending a concert of his favourite girl group, the Moranbong ensemble, together with his beautiful wife. Since then, he has not been seen in public and North Korean media has not…

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  • West Asia

    Abu Dhabi Film Festival collaborates with Martin Scorsese

    Abu Dhabi-UAE: 28 September, 2014 – Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), powered by twofour54, has announced a collaboration with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation/ World Cinema Project (WCP). As part of the collaboration, two newly restored international masterworks – THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES, directed by Sergei Parajanov and MANILA IN…

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  • East Asia

    POSCO industrial accident pollutes soil and water; poisons residents

    By Joel Lee, Jin Yong-jun An industrial accident by a South Korean steel-making company that leaked hazardous chemicals into the soil and underwater was found to have infected residents living nearby. Environmental watchdogs are demanding the company to properly carry decontamination works and cover medical check-ups. Large volumes of phenol,…

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  • East Asia

    South Korean broadcasting company chair nomination reveals cronyism history

    By Joel Lee The nomination of a conservative South Korean politician as the head of a public broadcast-advertising company is causing a deep-seated uproar among critics who see it as yet another government-orchestrated scheme to rein in on media control. Kwak Sung-moon, 61, a former National Assembly and Saenuri Party…

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  • South Asia

    Call to protect tigers: “Dhaka Declaration” recommends actions

    DHAKA: With the call to protect tigers, the Second Global Tiger Stocktaking Conference of Tiger Range Countries and Global Tiger Initiatives partners ended on Sept 16 (Tuesday) in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The conference adopted a Dhaka Declaration, in which the tiger range countries pledged not to build…

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  • East Asia

    South Korea and Canada to sign FTA

    By Joel Lee South Korea and Canada will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday, which would eliminate nearly all tariffs on the mutually agreed products for the next 10 years. As part of a state visit address in Ottawa on Sunday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the…

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  • East Asia

    Football connects world in Brazil

    Brazil is a passionate place for football. “Vai Japan! Japan! Japan!” That is the phrase that people, from kids to the elderly, used in Brazil to cheer my team on the minute they found me walking with the Japanese football jersey on in town. We did not know each other’s…

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