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Politics
New international honor for Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo
NEW YORK: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo will be honored at the annual Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards on September 19. The president will be honored for his leadership during Indonesia’s G-20 presidency, efforts to build bridges to end the devastating war in Ukraine, and wider advocacy for human rights, democracy,…
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Politics
U.N. chief appoints former Kyrgyzstan president as Afghanistan envoy
UNITED NATIONS: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed former president of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbayeva as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Otunbayeva replaces Deborah Lyons who stepped down in mid-June, the United Nations said in a statement. According to…
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Politics
Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia mark Independence Day with renewed commitment to unity, national identity
President Sadyr Zhaparov BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia celebrated their “Independence Day” by stressing their deep commitment to national identity and unity. For Kyrgyzstan, the 31st anniversary of its independence was an occasion to re-affirm its rich history, national spirit and love for freedom. It was also a new opportunity to…
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South Asia
Torrential rains devastate Pakistan as hundreds reported killed
By Nasir Aijaz The AsiaN Representative ISLAMABAD: As the power-hungry politicians of ruling and opposition parties of Pakistan remained ‘busy’ in political intrigues neglecting the miseries of the masses, the five spells of torrential rains that started in first week of July, have caused flash floods in urban as well as…
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Politics
South Korean President: We must respond with worse-than-expected scenarios in mind
SEOUL (Yonhap): South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized to the nation on Wednesday after heavy rains triggered massive flooding in southern Seoul this week and sparked criticism the capital city lacks adequate flood control measures. Yoon offered the apology during a government meeting on the response to the flooding…
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Politics
Ire among some in Singapore over Sri Lankan Terminator’s stay
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The unexpected arrival in Singapore of former Sri Lankan strongman Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, on July 1, has caused anger among some people in the Republic and raised inconvenient questions for the authorities here. Critics, overlooking the fact that he tendered…
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Politics
Shinzo Abe’s murder raises troubling questions
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The tragic untimely death of Shinzo Abe at the hands of an assassin has raised some troubling questions. One: Is there a shortcoming that in a robust democracy like Japan citizens still have to resort toviolence to resolve their grievances…
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Politics
Safety Waves versus Death Waves
A keynote speech at the 60th African literature and writers’ anniversary conference By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid IBADAN, NIGERIA: In our time, we live in more than one circle; circles that narrow and widen, touch, overlap and intersect, and sometimes even resist each other, and contradict with other circles. They are circles…
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South Asia
Pakistan: Uncertain Past, Uncertain Future
By Nasir Aijaz The AsiaN Representative ISLAMABAD: “Pakistan is passing through critical times’ and we have to take tough decisions to steer the country out of crisis” – this is what almost all the successive civil and military rulers used to say after coming into power, for over seven decades…
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Politics
President Joko Wiododo: Path of Humanitarian Diplomacy
By Eddy Suprapto The Russia-Ukraine war dragged countries on the European continent in the threat of widespread war. Even the impact of the war not only brought a humanitarian crisis but an economic crisis, energy and food hit the world. Efforts to negotiate peace and end the war should be…
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