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Culture
The quest to restore China’s face
[Books] The quest to restore China’s face Wealth and Power: China’s Long March to the Twenty-first Century By Orville Schell and John Delury | Random House | 2013 How did China after such a long, painful decline including civil war, revolution and foreign occupation recover from its impeding past and…
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West Asia
Women in revolution
Women had an effective role in rebellions even in earlier revolutions like the French Revolution, Russian Revolution, and even in Arab revolutions. Women’s participation in revolutions started much earlier than 1000 A.D.; Cleopatra II of Egypt led a rebellion against her brother Ptolemy VIII and drove him and Cleopatra III…
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[Asia Round-up] Universities can boost China’s ‘soft power’
Universities can boost China’s soft power [China, China Daily, 25-09-2013] China’s leading educational institutions Peking University (Beida) and Tsinghua University have joined the Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-created EdX online educational consortium by providing six courses online free of charge. China has now officially entered the movement known…
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Business
World Bank pledges more funds for poverty reduction in fragile nations
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday pledged to increase funds for poor people in fragile and conflict-affected states, as part of a new strategy for the global development institution to end poverty. In a speech at George Washington University, Kim said the fiscal uncertainty in the United States,…
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World
Nairobi shooting: Kenya forces take over mall after long standoff, 62 dead
Kenyan security forces continue its operation on Tuesday inside the mall where 62 people were killed by gunmen since Saturday, after more gunmen were killed as the siege of the mall enters the fourth day. “Security forces killed 6 of the remaining attackers,” Kenya’s Citizen TV said without giving detail…
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West Asia
UN report confirms use of sarin gas in Syria’s chemical weapons attacks
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday received the report from the UN fact-finding group on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. He will brief the UN Security Council on the findings Monday morning, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Sunday. “The report by the United Nations Mission…
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West Asia
Obama blends threat of attack, hope of diplomacy
President Barack Obama used a nationally televised address Tuesday night to make his case for military action against Syria, telling skeptical Americans that President Bashar Assad’s government posed a threat to U.S. security even as he recognized that diplomatic steps could render attacks unnecessary. While noting he had asked Congress…
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West Asia
White House tries to sway war-wear public on Syria
President Barack Obama is going public to try to convince war-weary Americans that limited strikes against Syria are needed for the United States’ long-term safety, while his national security team is attempting to reassure skeptical lawmakers that the United States is not heading toward another Iraq or Afghanistan. Obama on…
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West Asia
UN chief stresses need for cooperation on global issues
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday highlighted the importance of cooperation in addressing the challenges facing the world, as leaders from major economies are to attend a G20 summit in Russia. After arrived in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Wednesday for the summit, Ban said the international…
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East Asia
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman visits North Korea to meet Kim Jung Un
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman is in North Korea with plans to hang out with authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un, have a good time and maybe bridge some cultural gaps – but not be a diplomat. Rodman was greeted at Pyongyang’s airport Tuesday by Son Kwang Ho, vice-chairman of North…
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