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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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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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