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East Asia
[Asia Round-up] It pays to be cautious about digital cash
The collapse of the bitcoin exchange MtGox tells a lot about both entrepreneurs and cyber buyers. Some US$450 million is said to have been lost from the debacle. The vision of inflation-less currency that can move easily and without cost between sender and receiver is an attractive one. But, one…
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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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South East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Keep the corpse-preserver out of our food
Most consumers were shocked by the news that fresh food and meat sold at markets were laced with formalin. According to the Department of Health’s tests, in some cases 59 per cent of collected samples were found to contain the chemical. The contaminated foods included fish, meat, fruit and vegetables.…
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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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South East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Singapore named world’s most expensive city
Singapore is now ranked as the most expensive city in the world, according to a new survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that compares the cost of living between 131 cities using New York as a base city. A 40 percent currency appreciation over the last decade coupled with…
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South East Asia
[Asian Books] Southeast Asian Cartoon Art History, Trends and Problems
Southeast Asian Cartoon Art History, Trends and Problems Edited by John A. Lent | McFarland | 2014 John A. Lent brings together eight essays to provide the first overview of cartoon art in Southeast Asia. These essays provide both historical and modern observations of cartoons and comics in Indonesia, the…
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South East Asia
Jhola: A Tale Of Cruelty Against Hindu Women
A movie revealing wicked custom of Nepali suttee Jhola(Bag), a Nepali movie based on the cruel Sati system that was abolished 95 years ago from Nepal, became the first hit of 2014 in the movie theatres across Nepal. Released in the first week of February, the movie was drawing a…
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East Asia
High Goals on Big Screens
Though soccer is considered the most famous sport around the globe, it’s still not presented well in movies. American football stole the spotlight, and it’s either documentaries or comedy movies like “She’s The Man” or “Shaolin Soccer”. Only recently those studios really started to do some real soccer movies. Recently,…
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South East Asia
[Asia Round-up] Building aircraft from scratch
The state-controlled PT Dirgantara aerospace company has a plan to develop a prototype of a 19-seater aircraft with a grant of US$50 million from the government. But building such a high-tech product that requires high economies of scale and high-loaded costs is not an appropriate priority for Indonesia now. Dirgantara…
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South East Asia
[Transnational] “Spring New Year” in Asia
The Beauty, Sweat and Joy of Cambodia’s Khmer New Year Vannak Va·Cambodia·Dream Together Master, SNU April is both the hottest and happiest month of the year for Cambodian people who have long celebrated their Khmer new year in this month. The 3-day festival usually starts on the 13th or 14th…
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