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West Asia
[Asia Round-up] UAE is world’s charity capital with $5 billion aid
Culture of giving deeply rooted in Emirates’ society and nurtured by leaders since the inception of the UAE, says Shaikh Mohammed The UAE increased its aid rate to 1.5 per cent of GDP, the highest in the 34-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Emirates’ contributions rose more…
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East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe– economic diplomacy?
For the European Union, what was truly remarkable about Xi Jinping’s four-nation tour of Europe (The Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium) was the efforts that the Chinese President made to visit the key EU institutions in Brussels and to meet with its top leaders – President of the European Council…
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West Asia
Saudi Arabia’s desire to hold talks with Iran
Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal made an important announcement Tuesday when he said that he invited his Iranian counterpart and that he is ready to negotiate with him. This announcement signaled a change in Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Iran and came during US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s…
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East Asia
China’s powerful “threats” felt in South China Sea (2)
The statement issued by the ASEAN leaders said that “The Asian bloc is set to lend its full support to a peaceful resolution through dialogue and in full respect of democratic principles and rule of law.” This mentions only broadly the principles in resolving regional issues. This might be interpreted…
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East Asia
Tensions in South China Sea mounting over Chinese oil rigs (1)
Vietnam and Philippines directly involved, ASEAN countries cautious Amid physical clashes, calls for peaceful resolution rising An “inescapable” maritime dispute between China vis-a-vis Vietnam and the Philippines flared up in the South China Sea over China’s recent setting up of oil rigs, leading to China’s firing of water cannons and…
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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
[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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East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Avoid setting dangerous precedent
The Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito have started talks over the Abe administration’s bid to scrap the government’s traditional interpretation of the Constitution that Japan cannot exercise the right to collective self-defense. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to allow the nation to be able to use force to counter…
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West Asia
“Nasser” – key word in Egyptian Presidential Elections
A few years ago, and for almost half a century back, going to the polls was not a regular habit for Egyptians. The face of one ultimate president, Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak, was shading the backdrop of the stage. So, Egyptians believed that even if they tried to choose an…
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