-
West Asia
Commemoration for Soma disaster
A man sits during a commemoration gathering for the Soma mine disaster victims in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, May 18, 2014. Twenty-five people, including mining company executives, have been detained as Turkish officials investigate the mining disaster that killed 301 people, a domestic news agency reported Sunday.
Read More » -
West Asia
Lee Kun-hee, The Man behind Revolutions
First comments I read in Arabic,on the death of Samsung Electronics Chairman; Mr. Lee Kun-hee, showed that he was the man behind revolutions. If we speak of Arab region, it is clear how every house, and each citizen might be expressing easily their own experiences with some products with the…
Read More » -
South East Asia
[Asia Round-up] ASEAN displays solidarity as region suffers
The Malaysia Airlines plane that has gone missing is testing relations among ASEAN friends. Vietnam responded quickly, deploying emergency officials to the area where the plane was last seen on radar. Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand had no nationals on board but are lending a helping hand to Malaysia. Two-thirds of…
Read More » -
West Asia
Five years to stay or leave
The new minister of social affairs is trying to offer solutions for restricting, organizing and controlling the visa trade in Kuwait by limiting the duration of expatriates’ residency in Kuwait to five years. When I first read about it, I thought it was a joke and a waste of time…
Read More » -
West Asia
Qatar to end sponsorship system for expat workers – Doha unveils labor reforms but no timetable
DOHA: Qatar, host of the 2022 football World Cup, said yesterday it will abolish its controversial sponsorship system for foreign workers, whose treatment in the energy-rich state has stirred mounting international criticism. FIFA chief Sepp Blatter described the move as a “significant step,” but Amnesty International said it lacked substance…
Read More » -
West Asia
President renames excellence award; VP says march towards Vision 2021 will continue
The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has ordered that the Emirates Government Service Excellence Award be renamed the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award as a tribute to the outstanding role played by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of…
Read More » -
West Asia
Yemen’s dire need for WOMENOMICS
In his speech at the 68th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked about many key issues that matter to the world, but what was more interesting for me personally was the interest he showed in empowering women in the economic sector―let’s call it, “womenomics.”…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
South Asia
Indian man near a railway station
An Indian man stands at the doorway of a train at a railway station in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Indian railway network is one of the world’s largest, with some 14 million passengers daily and some 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of railway track cut through some of…
Read More »