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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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East Asia
“2014 Dream Together Master Program” for International Sport Development and Cooperation
“2014 Dream Together Master Program” for International Sport Development and Cooperation begins 2nd year in South Korea The ‘Dream Together Master Program (DTMP)’ began its first semester on September 1, 2014, with full support from the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism (MCST) and Korea Foundation for the Next Generation…
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East Asia
China’s central bank cuts RP rate to spur growth
By Joel Lee China’s central bank cut its repurchase agreement rate to the lowest level since Jan 2011 in a bid to counter the slower-than-expected growth. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced Thursday it has sold 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) of 14-day contracts at 3.5 percent – a…
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West Asia
“The President”: “Despot-on-the-run” satire with revolutionary revelations
By Joel Lee Expat Iranian director Mohsen Makmalbaf proposes a trenchant reenactment of revolutionary developments in the Middle East with his new film “The President,” which premiered at the opening of 2014 Venice Film Festival. Co-written with his filmmaker wife Marziyeh Meshkiny, the movie is an allegory of a “despot-on-the-run”…
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West Asia
BEIRUT ART FAIR 2014: TREND OVERVIEW
Beirut Art Fair 2014 is set to kick off this week from September 18 to 21, 2014 at Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center (BIEL). The fair welcomes 47 galleries from 14 countries including the GCC region. Over the years, the fair has established itself on the regional and international…
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East Asia
South Koreans more unhappy and unhealthy than other Asians
By Joel Lee South Koreans are unhappier and unhealthier than other less wealthy Asian neighbors, a public opinion poll showed Tuesday, reflecting depressing levels of sentiments on people’s lives in Asia’s fourth-largest economy nation. According to a joint survey – 2014 Well-being Index – by public opinion research company…
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East Asia
North Korea’s failing diplomacy in Europe, Russia and Japan
By Andrei Lankov Kang Sok-ju, Korean Workers’ Party secretary for international issues, has departed for a trip to a number of European countries. He visits Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany where he meets local politicians from assorted political parties. There is little doubt that the expected visit of a high…
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East Asia
The politics of art in the art of politics: South Korean art festival marred by censorship scandal
By Joel Lee A South Korean art exhibition is embroiled in a storm of international controversy after an art work was pulled under political pressure, raising the issue of freedom of expression and censorship. The Gwangju Biennale, an art festival dedicated to the spirit of democracy, is held in the…
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West Asia
[AJA Global Report] Uzbekistan to participate in the K-POP World Festival 2014
K-POP World Festival 2014 will be held in Changwon city, South Korea, on October Lolita Vagapova will represent Uzbekistan in the international contest K-POP World Festival 2014 to be held in Changwon city, South Korea, in October this year reported Jahon information agency. Embassy of the Republic of Korea to…
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East Asia
[AJA Global Report] Movie Star Jackie Chan’s son detained in Beijing over drugs
The son of movie star Jackie Chan, Jaycee Chan, also known as Fang Zuming, and an award-winning Taiwanese actor, Ko Chen-tung, were detained by Beijing police for drug-related offences. Over 100 grams of marijuana were found and both Chan and Ko confessed to using drugs. The police put Chan under…
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